Not that anyone ever asks, but here are my best albums of the year. As always, an unusual bunch.
Zeal & Ardor – Stranger Fruit
Well, of course. You all saw this coming down main, didn’t you? The weird gospel/death metal group Zeal & Ardor threw this musical grenade at us this year, a story of slavery, racism, and revenge, which really shouldn’t have held a frightening relevance, but of course it did. And, if you’d prefer to ignore the gut punching lyrics, you can, and just enjoy getting your eardrums kicked in. But frankly, the whole package is dynamite, and Zeal & Ardor should soundtrack the end of the world. Oh wait, they are.
Tim Hecker – Konoyo
Who requested eerie ambient music? Well, Hecker serves it up as he always does....

Hey everybody!
I just wanted to wish everyone a happy holidays if you celebrate it, or if you don’t, happy Mythbusters marathon days! (I’ve been enjoying that myself.) Anyways, I wanted to take a moment to also thank everybody who read my books and stories this year. This hasn’t been a super productive year for me – depression is great, isn’t it folks? – but I hope to turn that around next year. I have two WIPs well over fifty thousand words, and Less Than Three Press will be re-releasing both Josh of the Damned and Strange Angels. I hope to post updates, and maybe a little flash fic along the way.
Thank you so much for the reviews and book recommendations. It all helps, and you’ve basically kept me going this year....

All apologies to Hughes Mearn. (Photo by Brian J. White.)
**
Yesterday, on the street,
I met a man not so fleet.
He’s a shadow without body, a wayward sort,
Who haunts the areas around the port.
He never says a word, only waits,
Like a man not aware he’s been stood up for a date.
I asked him several times if I could aid him,
Before light and time would surely fade him.
Finally one night he answered me,
Much to my surprise and glee.
“I am but a portent of doom,
Staying here until you all join me in the Stygian gloom.
Your end is coming fast and messy,
So if I were you I’d wear something a little less dressy.”
So if you see a shadow without a man,
There’s no point in running away.
For you and I will join him soon,
And here we will all...

Thanks to Jenn Burke and her typo for this flash fic.
**
Fade in on a sunny, well appointed kitchen – basically a Martha Stewart kitchen, or a Williams-Sonoma catalog display come to life.
Voice Over (ominous male voice): From the producer of “Girls Gone Stabby”, and the director of “Don’t Open That Door” comes a new tale of shocking horror …
A woman enters the kitchen, followed by a man carrying grocery bags. They’re young and upwardly mobile, a bland sort of “every couple”.
Woman: It was so nice of that man at the farmer’s market to give away pies. What did he say they were made of again?
Man: Fruits from his greenhouse, I think? All I know is he called them Venus pies, and I am here for it.
They put groceries away, but the...

Here we go, the last film of the abbreviated season. The final episode seems apt, as Cave Dwellers is a beloved classic of the first iteration of the series, and it was the sequel to this movie. If you’ve seen that episode, you saw tiny bits of this film in one of their interminable exposition scenes.
Is this movie as cheap as Cave Dwellers? Yes, absolutely. In fact, I think the same sets, slightly redressed, were used in both films. Probably costumes as well. The actors were mostly swapped out though, save for Miles, and I couldn’t even guess where the bear ran off to. But I hate to say I didn’t find this quite as good as Cave Dwellers, if you can even call that good. Which you can’t.
Maybe it hurts that I knew how the story was going to go. This ticks...

Next up is the silly horror movie/crime hybrid with the bare bones title Killer Fish, which you probably would have guessed was a ’70’s movie even before I told you it stars Lee Major and Karen Black. Yeah, I didn’t know they did a movie together either. The only way this could have been more ’70’s was if the Village People showed up. (Sadly, they do not.)
I’ve already admitted to being a sucker for bad sci-fi movies. I’m also a sucker for bad horror movies, or at least ones that don’t strive to be masochistic or dull as dirt. This starts off baffling, with some hoo-haa about a gem heist, and although the cast is white American, we’re in Brazil, which is important for the whole killer fish angle. I should warn those of you who are sensitive to...

Oh, as soon as this said it was a Charles Band film, I knew we were in for it. If you don’t know who he is, lucky you. Let’s just say he’s known for his Z grade movies, some of which manage to be entertaining even though, honestly, they’re terrible. I had a feeling this wouldn’t be one of those ones. I was right.
This is a ’70’s film about a couple of with it grandparents in the southwest who construct a fully solar powered home, with a surprise. Namely that cheaply stop animated aliens are around, some good and some bad, tossing around furniture and appearing in green glows of psychedelic mist. What do they want? Why have they bonded with the little girl of the family? Will any of this ever add up to anything entertaining? Since I’ve agreed to no...

As they tell you before the film starts, this is a rip off of a rip off of a rip off, which means it’s almost an original idea again. Except, no.
Although I haven’t seen a single one of the films that this is a watered down version of, immediately my first thought was it was a combination of Seaquest and Aliens – a James Cameron turducken, if you will – but so much worse. And while it’s very easy to do with the former, it feels like sacrilege with the latter. One thing I will give it is it manages to get to plot action fast, and without the incoherence of Atlantic Rim. But that might be the only nice thing I can say about it.
Although let me preface this by saying it is actually the best of the movies so far this season, but that’s an easy...

Episode 2 is an Asylum film – maker of cheap and cheesy rip-off movies, and the actually not terrible Z Nation (seriously, it’s much more fun than the Walking Dead). And as you may have guessed from the title, this is a cheap and cheesy Pacific Rim knock off, with a touch of Godzilla and by the end, the first Avengers film. The CGI is terrible and never believable, but is at least a break from ugly alien puppets.
It eschews plot and coherence for poorly filmed action and stock footage, as well as sweaty actors on small sound stages. Pacific Rim was an enjoyable if kind of silly movie, but this makes it seem like a masterpiece in retrospect, with great character work and a generally comprehensible story line.
The immediate drawback of the film –...

Of course I’m watching the new MST3K season, and as I do, I’m posting my reviews. Here we go with the first one. No movie spoilers, if you want it to be a surprise, but honestly – none of these movies are worth it.
**
The rebooted Mystery Science Theater 3000 is back, with a shorter six episode season. They hand wave away the cliffhanger the Kinga/Jonah , which may annoy people, but it feels like a very MST3K to do. (And it may come back – this is episode one, after all.) It’s not important, let’s move on. So we do, and the first movie up is the epic piece of shit known as Mac and Me, a crass McDonald’s sponsored rip off of E.T.
I’ve known about this film but never seen it, although I felt like I had. Truth is, I hadn’t. Wow....

I rarely do this, which shows. I should do this more often. All my books are on sale at DSP! From shifter PIs, hooker urban vigilantes, and supervillains in love, there’s a lot of weirdness to go around. (And I mean it in a good way.)

So far I’ve given you little glimpses of the manuscript in progress, but here is a much bigger piece, where the gang meet Alex for the first time, and get to know their god … kind of. It’s always odd when a god you’ve never heard of, who can crush you like a bug, shows up on your doorstep.
**
There was a stranger sitting on their purple velvet sofa, though. It was either a slightly effeminate man or a slightly butch woman, attractive either way, in spite of the nose ring. They had dreadlocks held back in what looked like a ponytail, and awesome yellow boots. The person looked at them with a sunny, guileless smile, and Logan wasn’t sure if they were in their late teens or early twenties.
Logan had opened his mouth to say...

Esme uses her evil eye … and goddamn, we all need them. (Full marks to anyone who sees the Transmetropolitan homage in this.)
There were a lot of cars in the parking lot, but no people, so that was a bit of a break. “Damn, the pavement is really hot,” Lyn commented.
“Should have worn shoes,” Ahmed said, unhelpfully.
Lyn glared at him. “Next time I’ll wear Crocs.”
“Don’t you fucking dare,” Ahmed snapped. He hated Crocs and flip flops with an equal passion. Mainly because they were so damn ugly, and Logan agreed with him, but honestly, he didn’t care either way. Not true for Ahmed, who seemed to take every fashion faux paus personally. Except he’d given up complaining about Logan’s...

In this one, Lyn and Logan muse about Ahmed’s misanthropy.
**
Also, much like no one warded against harpies, no one warded against mummies – or the mummy cursed – either. Since he was sand, he could travel through this house a lot faster than them too, and never trigger a trap. “Hey, Ahmed, you wanna check out the upper floors?” Logan asked. “At the rate we’re going, we’ll get there by Tuesday.”
He sighed, which was always a neat trick since he didn’t technically breathe, and said, “Fine. What am I looking for again?”
“A nasty book that gives off mucho bad mojo,” Lyn said.
“Should I destroy it?”
“No, we might need it,” Logan admitted.
He rolled his eyes. “Of course we do. We need all the bad...

Still no title – Apocalypse Nowish still remains on the table – but here’s a tiny bit of it. I’ll be posting a couple of these. First up, let me introduce you to Cthylla, Cthulhu’s daughter. She’s really not someone you want to invite to a party.
**
Logan had just beheaded an angel, who seemed deeply confused by this development, when the windows turned black. This time, out in it, Logan could see it wasn’t a dimming more than it was like a bloom of ink over the windows, rapid and gloomier than true darkness. Gooseflesh busted out all over his body, starting from his scalp all the way down to his toes, and he could taste something like ashes in his mouth. His muscles instantly weakened, and it seemed to take...

The last but not least person in my WIP interviews is Alex Rayasi, a genderfluid messenger for a god. I think. I still have many questions. But Alex definitely wins in the “my gods can eat all your gods” contest.
Can you give us the dating ap rundown? I’m Alex, they/them, not interested in a relationship because I have all that I need.
Are you in a relationship? Not as you understand it, no.
Uh, what do you mean? I don’t need another person for my happiness. I am very happy, and not alone.
Not alone? That’s the same as being in a relationship, is it? Depends on your point of view, I suppose.
Is this related to you being a messenger for Cthulhu? Cthylla.
Pardon? Cthulhu’s daughter. He sleeps, she watches. Although using gender...

This interview is with Ahmed El Karim, who is an interesting fellow. And not the easiest to talk to.
Why don’t you give me the dating ap breakdown? The what now?
The dating site rundown? I have no idea what that is.
You’ve never heard of online dating? I’ve heard of it. I don’t know what the point is.
People want to meet and hook up. Why? People are the fucking worst.
Well … I’m not sure how to respond to that. Because it’s true and you know its true.
Even the humans you work with? I work with one human. The rest of them aren’t.
Esme may be a witch, but she’s still human. I was talking about her.
Oh. Logan’s human, despite angel blood in his family. That’s debatable. Angels are the fucking worst.
I thought...

This time with Logan Fox, the human of the group. He’s special without being special. Or something like that. (And I can confirm he is the male equivalent of the face that launched a thousand ships.)
Why don’t you give us your dating ap breakdown. Okay, I’m Logan, twenty nine, a Sagittarius I think. I work hard and I play hard, only I’ve not really had time to work or play recently, as I’m too busy trying to stay alive and prevent an apocalypse. So what I’m saying is I’m exhausted, and running on three hours sleep and too many iced coffees. My stomach is currently undergoing its own personal Ragnarök.
TMI, dude. Well, that ap shit is ridiculous. I’m not disparaging anyone who uses them, but, fuck, where do you find the time? But then again, I...

Next up in my interviews is Lynnaea “Lyn” Argyris, who you might now from Esme’s interview, is not your average person. Far from it.
Want to give the whole dating ap spiel? Ooh, let’s see – my name is Lynnaea, I like kicking ass and taking names. Turn ons include men who shut up and women who can rock a spiffy hat. Turn offs include mansplaining, being a Trump supporter – but I repeat myself – and pistachios. I mean, good god, have people ever eaten those? Ick.
Is there an age range? Age isn’t that important to me, as long as you’re legal. And I see what you’re doing, and no.
No what? Not telling you my age. But I am so much older than I look.
Esme told me you’re a harpy, which means you’re a limited shapeshifter....

This time, my interview is with Ceri, who is an … interesting fellow. If you read Esme’s interview, you may already know this.
Want to do the dating ap breakdown? The what now?
The basics, of who you are. Well, I’m Ceri, human/demon hybrid.
That’s it? Do you need more?
Well, what’s your full name? How old are you? When’s your birthday? Things like that. By human measure or Hell measure?
What? Human time and Hell time are different.
Which do you go by? It depends on where I am. On Earth, human time. In Hell, Hell time.
Okay, so, how old are you in Earth years? No clue.
What? I’ve never done the math to figure it out. I don’t think it’s relevant. You do realize an apocalypse is nigh, right? I have other things on my mind.
Okay. How...

As a teaser for my work in progress novel, I decided I’d ask the characters questions, and see how they responded. It’ll give you some idea of who they are, and not piss them off too much.
First up is Esmerelda “Esme” Navarro.
Want to give any dating ap style answers? Oh, you mean like “Hi, my name is Esme, I’m thirty three, my birthday is January 29th, making me an Aquarius with Leo rising. I like being left alone, working on my magic, and trying not to die. I’m a gold star lesbian who actually doesn’t give a shit about most litmus tests, but there it is.”
This seems like a good time to ask what your hidden talent is. I don’t really have one, as I don’t believe in hiding anything. I’m the most powerful witch alive, and I have an evil...

So Bandcamp is doing a voter rights and registration thing all day today, and to encourage participation, I wanted to post a few of my favorite albums available on Bandcamp that you can purchase now, and for a good cause.
Zeal & Ardor – Stranger Fruit
My favorite album of the year so far is this one, a real banger from Zeal and Ardor that combines metal and gospel, and is also an album all about racism and slavery, and the lingering toxic effects thereof. Which doesn’t take away from t he fact that this album rages in every way possible.
Sannhet – So Numb
Here’s some hard charging instrumentals from Sannhet, as I really do enjoy hard charging instrumental bands, and more may show up on this list. They’re good to write to, if you need...

Part of my flash fic initiative, here’s a tour of the near future. Thank you, Simone!
**
“Welcome everyone to the Writer’s Virtual Walking Tour. Make sure your visors are secure before we begin. The miracle of new TruView technology allows us a glimpse into the minds of fellow wearers, especially those who have onerous contracts with the company. You can look through their eyes, and see what their lives are all about. If you’re secure, we will begin. Follow me.”
A brief moment of blackness is followed by a title card, reading “Elliott Kavitski, the “it boy” of the moment, known for his award winning book Everything is Negotiable, a book about an upper middle class white family torn apart by the patriarch’s affair with a friend of his...

I haven’t posted for a bit, so why don’t you enjoy some new music while I get my act together.
The Twilight Sad are back! Now that the world has caught up to their particular brand of Scottish misery, they’re more relevant than ever.
Ladytron is also back! While not miserable, they do specialize in alienation as a sound, buried in a sugary coating that just enhances the unease, and again, this is perfect for the end times we seem to be living in. Again, more relevant than ever.
Speaking of alienation, here’s a good electronic track from Emika, that still manages to sound creepy as all get out. Yes, I do consider that a compliment.
Shadow Age have a new record out! It is shiny and pretty, and seems to be dominated by themes of near death and...

This is part of my ko-fi initiative, where I write a flash fic for anyone who buys me a tea. And thank you Tom, for this story, about a werewolf who just wants a drink …
Closing Time
It was the start of every bad joke he’d ever heard. A werewolf walked into a bar.
But Miles had had a bitch of a day – no pun intended – and was in no mood for any jokes. Or anything else, besides a nice stiff drink.
Stoney’s was the kind of bar a hipster would set up, but ironically. They were deadly serious here. That jukebox whose lights only worked occasionally; the tables had genuine drink rings and cigarette burns on them, even though smoking in bars had been banned for decades now; the old drunk at the end of the bar, with an eye patch and three missing...

This is part of my Ko-Fi initiative, with the idea courtesy of Simone. Hope you like it, and that I’m not terribly disappointing! This is a science fiction flash fic, so the name is kind of ironic.
Folk Art
The hardest thing about being a galactic negotiator was the emotional whiplash.
People thought it was the whole navigating the languages/postures/rituals part, but it wasn’t. There were only two dozen other species in the United Worlds, and and Aneela prided herself on her memorization skills. Even if she didn’t, there were pills and body mods for that now.
No, it was picking up and reading all the emotions that was the worst. There were no mechanical substitutes for telepathy or empathy – or both, as she was technically a tele-empath –...

Hello! I have a ko-fi page – – and I’ve decided for every donation, you may request I do a flash fiction for you. Just send me one sentence, or name a couple of items, and I’ll write a flash fic for you!
This opening one is for Gillian, and I admit, it went a bit beyond flash length. But only because I kind of ran with the idea. Thanks, Gillian!
**
Night Work
The library closed at nine on Thursdays. And that was when Julian’s second job began.
He made sure to always be working the last Thursday shift, which wasn’t hard. He and his contact had worked out a rotating system. His orders would be in the last book on the fourth shelf in whatever aisle corresponded with the week of the month. For instance, today was the second week of the...

So I will be attempting to self-publish my Josh of the Damned series. I think I’m looking at an October release, which makes sense, but I wanted to show you the neat new cover, done by Lex Chase (and paid for by the wonderful Angel Martinez).
How beautiful is that? And this Josh of the Damned will have some extras in it. Newish material! More as things progress.

My weird short story collection, Shotgun Bastards! If you want to read about the crab apocalypse, a Cthulhu restaurant horrible yelp reviews, or the stupidest diet in the world, now’s your chance. Shotgun Bastards

For my weird flash fic collection, Shotgun Bastards. It has a little bit of everything. Including many apocalypses that we can kind of hope for. https://lessthanthreepress.com/books/index.php?main_page=product_bookx_info&cPath=95&products_id=1626&zenid=rsg1u4lrdbk2hg276co9oeifl3

Everything remains terrible, and unless you’re a straight white male, you’re about to have rights stripped away from you in the United States. But, here’s some new music I’ve been listening to, while trying not to die.
Zeal & Ardor
Zeal and Ardor have a new album out, called Stranger Fruit. It’s about slavery and racism, and like the album before, is an intriguing mix of old Negro spirituals and death metal. He is one of the best musicians in the world right now. Seriously. This is top to bottom amazing. And sadly, still topical.
Half of this group was killed in the tragic Ghostship fire, so this is the final album from the group Them Are Us Too. It’s a good album, and is all the more sad for it.
Some fine...

Now, the conclusion of the story.
**
Little Knives, Part 2
“You’re ridiculous, you know that?” Trevor said. “I said the last time I saw him was at the motel, and that was it. This isn’t fucking Law and Order. If the guy has gone off, it has nothing to do with me.”
“That was my hope, you know?” Chai said. “Despite it all. His roommate was adamant Danny wouldn’t just flake out on him. He liked his job, he wouldn’t abandon his cat, and I have to admit, it’s adorable. But people can still do these kind of things, right? Especially nowadays. It feels like the world’s ending, and nothing means anything anymore. No one’s in charge and no one cares. It’s a depressing time to be alive. But there’s enough circumstantial evidence to indicate...

A two part story with Chai and Holden. This one takes place months after Infected: Throwaways, but doesn’t really contain any spoilers, so you can read it regardless.
**
Little Knives
It was not what Chai was expecting, but what, in retrospect, had he expected? It wasn’t something he had honestly thought about. And yet, he still had unconscious expectations. Weird how that worked.
All he knew was it was an address that was in a part of Seattle where he had never been, which was strange, because he’d been sure he’d been everywhere in this city. But it was on the seedier side of town, although far from seediest – otherwise known as his old stomping grounds. It had that odd zoning that seemed like it was all commercial until, bam, an A-frame house...

So here’s the challenge, and what the hell, right?
**
No Country For Old Ghosts
The ghosts appeared before her in a sudden rush of cold air, semi-translucent, shadowy figures in dated clothes with dark,haunted eyes. Heather gave them her best professional smile, and asked, “Can I help you?”
The male ghost, who looked more than a little like a nineteenth century miner, replied. “We used to haunt the Westmore building on Southern, but it was torn down and replaced by a Whole Foods.”
“We tried to haunt it,” the female ghost said. She looked like a nineteenth century governess, which was kind of par for the course for this kind of spirit. “But it was depressing.”
“And frightening,” the male ghost said. “Do you know how much they wanted...

So my seven sentences were too much to actually post on Twitter, so here is the segment:
“Or he was fine with doing damage to himself to stop it transmitting.”
Cass tried to imagine what that would be, and shuddered. You’d think someone wouldn’t go that far, and yet, when a chrononaut snapped, nothing was off the table. He’d heard of one who somehow lopped her own arm off and used it to beat people. She had style, you had to give her that, even if it was self-defeating in the end.
Rain was flinging itself against the windows like it was attempting suicide, and sometimes it pressed so forcefully against the bus he could actually feel it, like it was trying in vain to tip this vehicular behemoth over. Hardly a night for man or beast, so of course...

I might be doing more of these, as I had a mad urge to wrap up some things, possibly things that don’t need wrapping up. But you know how authors are. Minor spoilers for Infected: Throwaways, if you haven’t read that yet, and CW – talk of abuse, eating disorders and drug use.
**
Anhedonia
A gay nightclub wasn’t the most obvious choice for a wake. And yet, it did a surprising amount of side business in that area.
There had been talk about doing it at another gay club, Skylight, except it would definitely object to such a thing inside its walls. Also, Chai was certain they were too old, too poor, and too ethnic for that crowd.
So here they were at Panic instead, mourning the guy you figured would outlive the rest of them – Trix....

So I asked on Twitter if people would rather read a bit of my Farscape but gayer thing, or my drunken time travel thing. Farscape won, so here we go, the “introducing most of the gang” moment. Keep in mind, this is still rough. But I wanted to prove I was still writing, contrary to all the evidence.
And as of now, I have no title. Titles always seem like the last things to appear.
**
Sayeed woke up with a huge pain in his neck, and a chalky taste in his mouth. That was usually the end result of being hit with a nerve disruptor. Also, having a shunt jammed into his nexus cluster to prevent it from operating.
He sat up, and the shunt began broadcasting its canned message straight into his brain: “Sayeed Jackson Singh, you have been tried and...

New challenge, new story. I put the tweet I chose at the bottom, mainly because I wanted to see if anyone could figure out what it was before we got there.
**
No Tell
It started small at first. Stolen towels, broken ice machine, keys that didn’t work. It escalated to frogs in the bathroom, centipedes in the bed, torn sheets, and pillowcases full of garbage. The owner of the Nite Owl Motel couldn’t figure it out.
He set up hidden security cameras, only for them to be found clogging toilets. The security tapes revealed nothing. There wasn’t a hint as to who might be doing this. No wayward shadow, no glimpse of a car. For all the world, phantoms were haunting his motel, turning it slowly into a trash pile.
The Nite Owl was not a four star establishment by any...

Yaay! To celebrate that, here’s an excerpt from Infected: Undertow that I just kind of like. Gives you some idea of the hard boiled world this takes place in.
**
Holden hung up and got out of the car, heading towards the
night manager’s office. It was funny, but after all these years, Sivan
was still the night manager. He was a squat but gaunt man with skin
the color of a caramel macchiato and an indefinable accent that was
almost as comically thick as his mustache, which was definitely a
pornstache to be proud of. He was quick to anger but also quick to
calm down, which was a good thing since it wasn’t always clear what
he was angry about. He was a fighter, though, or had been at some
point; his thick sausage fingers had callused knuckles, the type...

This is this week’s challenge, and I chose this photo.
(Photo credit to Piximus)
**
A Date With Death
When Alfred first said he was dating Death, everyone thought it was a joke.
He had always been eccentric – preferring green tea to black, wearing full tie and tails down to breakfast, preferring women’s boots and nightgowns – but no one thought such a thing was even possible. Until Alfred was spotted riding a bike in the park with Death.
In this instance, Death was its skeletal self, although everyone quickly learned it had several guises, including the spectral figure in the hooded black cloak, a dog headed god being of some sort, and a sizable vulture. Alfred’s twin brother, Wilfred, was absolutely apoplexic. “What...

This is a flash fic challenge, I did it, and right away I want to say this has spawned a hell of a plot bunny. This isn’t the last you’re seeing of Leo,
Yuki, and Cain. I got occult detective/paranormal romance, and I so want to get into it. I know how Leo/Yuki came about, I know how Cain got all his stuff … I have so much back story guys! So consider this a teaser.
N.B.: Yuki is genderless, and is referred to with they/them pronouns.
**
Hearts Aflame
Leo Sakai barely shut the door before the hounds of hell were slamming against it, making it rattle in its frame. He laughed darkly, pressing himself against the door. “Okay, Yuki, now’s a good time to stop being mad at me,” he said.
“Oh, did you two have a fight again?” a voice asked...

I should apologize for taking so long to finish this story. Life got in the way, but so did my migraines, which have been on a real tear lately, and made everything hard. I also want to extend a special thank you to Simone F. That really helped a lot.
**
2 – In A Former Life
8-Ball squinted at the phone, and Chai got the distinct impression it was something of an act. Why? What was the point of that?
“Oh yeah. This dude bought half my Freddie a coupla days ago.”
Chai thought he was being honest, but he glanced at Holden for conformation. His expression was stone, so Chai honestly couldn’t tell. But he guessed Holden would have looked angrier if he’d thought he was being lied to. “He tell you why he wanted it?”
8-Ball chuckled and shrugged....

You can consider this a tease of the new Infected novel, coming out in February. But really, I felt like cheering myself up, so here we are. A story about Holden and Chai, perhaps the strangest private investigators in the business, searching for someone, with an unexpected third wheel …
**
1 – Boy Division
Chai had never been in a straight club before, and he felt like a spy behind enemy lines. Well, that was a tad over-dramatic, but he honestly couldn’t shake the feeling he didn’t belong here.
The club had a sign near the door saying that all sexualities were welcome, so technically it wasn’t a straight club at all, right? Except he was surrounded by hetero couples, man/woman pairings all over the dance floor, and part of him felt like fleeing...

Well, there’s no doubt this year has been fucking horrible, and 2018 is looking like it will be worse yet. Yaay. But, before we all kill ourselves, I thought I’d try and cheer myself up by asking various characters what their New Year’s resolutions would be, even if they didn’t believe in such a thing, Roan.
What’s your New Year’s resolution?
Roan: No.
Dylan: I think it would just be to do more for my fellow human beings when I can. Roan refused to do this didn’t he?
Holden: I haven’t freaked out enough straights lately. I really need to get back to doing that. And destroy capitalism at the same time, if I can figure out how to swing it.
Chai: Just take one day at a time, and try and learn to listen to my therapist a bit more. I mean, I do listen,...

Holden meets a guy in a motel room. Things do not go as one of them planned.
**
Holden agreed to meet him at the Pinecrest Motel at ten thirty, room 3-C. It was funny how a phone app could somehow make buying sex even more anonymous and impersonal than ever. Of course, you could get it for free with the app, and Romeo thought that’s what he was getting. Which is exactly what Holden wanted him to think.
Much to his chagrin, he realized dressing for the part was his favorite thing about all of this. God, how stereotypical. He disgusted himself at times. Still, he couldn’t let on about his prostitute day job, so he went with jeans and a Seahawks t-shirt he picked up cheap at a grocery store – for fuck’s sake, they sold them at grocery stores! Why?!...

Why not welcome the month with a small horror story?
Sacrifice
Elena woke up chained to the altar.
The cult was chanting, intoning low words of encouragement to an Elder God who demanded blood and souls just to get out of bed. They were nonsense phrases chanted over and over, the echoes of a long dead language where the meanings were lost, but the malevolence remained.
She knew this because she bothered to do the research. Her mother hooked up with some shady guy, and it was up to Elena to protect herself, because her mother couldn’t. Her mother was kind, but too kind to the wrong people, as if someone had once taught her the way to deal with a monster was to be as accommodating to them as possible, and maybe then they wouldn’t destroy you. In Elena’s...

Thanksgiving is usually when I roll out my Turkey Day marathon suggestions, but usually I end up recommending the same movies. Although they remain good, I’ve decided, this year, to recommend MSt3Ks that have grown on me over the years. Maybe at first I thought they were okay, not special, but in time, I learned to appreciate them more. Minor MSt3Ks, if you will, that get very little love.
(Oh, and a live Turkey Day marathon is happening too.)
**
Human Duplicators – Although originally memorable for the sketch bit involving a dangerous, pent up Hugh Beaumont, this was the first movie I noticed had grown into one of my favorites. A truly inept, low budget science fiction film that seems to think androids sent as alien soldiers would have delicate china...

Since the pre-order for Infected: Throwaways is now live, I thought I’d do a quick little thing: Five songs that never fail to remind me of Holden.
**
Five Fingers – Aesop Rock
Almost too easy, this one. Holden is a very adept pickpocket, a survival skill he learned early on in his street kid days, and he can still do it today. He’s quite proud of this, and if you dare him to steal anything from you, you’ll be the victim of identity theft before you leave the room. So don’t dare him, by any means.
The Room – The Twilight Sad
This probably needs a bit of explanation. The song seems to be about abuse and secrets within a family – there’s always wiggle room with a Twilight Sad song, but they are resolutely miserable, so this is a safe bet – but...

This is the brief bit I read at Read With Pride. So if you couldn’t be there, this is what you missed from me.
Burn was one of those people Holden liked to think of as liminal: everybody knew him, and at the same time, nobody knew him. He was a ghost of a man who hadn’t yet died.
And that was the way he liked it. Hard to catch a ghost. It seemed like someone finally had, though.
As far as Holden knew, Burn had no family, here or anywhere. He was a man without a country, a home, a basic understanding of dental hygiene. All that was generally known about him was that his appetite for drugs was bottomless, and if you needed something questionable fast—untraceable gun, pharmaceuticals, car of dubious provenance—he was the guy to see. He’d been around...

Hello! Here’s something I should do on a regular basis, which is run down my list of available books, where they are, and, in the case of series, what order they progress in.
And, may I add if you’ve read all or most of this stuff, to leave a book review on Amazon, Goodreads, or wherever? It really helps authors get the word out. Thank you!
So here we go:
Infected series:
Book 1: Infected: Prey
Book 2: Infected: Bloodlines
Book 3: Infected: Life After Death
Book 4: Infected: Freefall
Book 5: Infected: Shift
Book 6: Infected: Lesser Evils
Book 7: Infected: Undertow
Book 8: Infected: Epitaph
Infected: Paris is a prequel, but I really feel like it should be read after the others, or at least after Bloodlines.
The Holden series is a spin off, and yet I...

This Saturday I will be taking part in the Read With Pride meet up! I will be reading a passage from Infected: Throwaways later that night. And if you come say hi, you can get a profane political sticker (while supplies last), and I have one thing for a fellow Doctor Who fan. See you there!

(A/K/A All That You Love Will Be Eviscerated)
When I considered writing a piece for Halloween movie recs, I realized I didn’t want to promote a horror movie – I wanted to talk about the best horror movie in years that is not, in fact , a horror movie. The TV show Hannibal.
It’s impossible to think anyone may have missed this. Even if you didn’t watch it when it aired – which was a lot of people – you know about it. Still, it remains a haunting, beautifully grotesque story all about how love will kill you.
There are many themes in Hannibal, but many boil down to a simple fact: love is a beast. It will kill you one way or another, but it will kill you. And maybe that’s what you want.
To boil the series down to its simplest elements, the...

Josh reflexively ducked when the glass of the door shattered, although Colin didn’t seem the least bit surprised. And why would he? Clearly he’d been fighting these things before he came here.
Colin jumped over the counter, grabbed Josh, and pulled him down behind it for meager cover. There were sounds like pebbles smacking against the glass, but Josh was willing to bet it wasn’t pebbles. “How do we fight them?”
“Very carefully,” Colin said. Josh scowled at the terrible joke, but Colin added, “No, I mean that. Medusa would rather have them back alive. Luckily, reverse tooth fairies are tougher than they seem for three inch long insects that sound like if a squeaky toy could talk.”
“I could use some practical advice here,” Josh admitted. “Do...

Rather than do a trip through an ipod thing, I decided to ask Roan to pick out songs that remind him of people in his life. That way it’s telling from two perspectives at the same time, and I get to annoy Roan for a bit, which is always a win/win.
Dylan
Roan: I have two answers to this. One dark and one sweeter. Let’s start with darker:
Jeff Rosenstock – Polar Bear or Africa
Roan: Part of me hopes that after I’m gone, Dyl will forget me and move on like I never existed, and the world lets him. Because he’s put up with a lot of shit because of me and for me, and it’s unfair. But I know that Dyl would hate that, so don’t tell him.
Killing Joke – Love Like Blood
Roan: The only reason I’m still here and not dead yet is all him. Dylan is...

Funnily enough, Halloween was usually a quiet time for the Quik-Mart. Most of the monsters didn’t know about it, save for a few vampires and others, who took the time to go out among humans and get a quick bite. As far as Josh knew, no one went crazy and actually killed anyone, for fear of risking Medusa’s wrath, but who knew? Maybe some monsters gave it a shot.
But tonight, it was humans who were bugging him. Namely, three lightly toasted frat guys who were apparently dressed as some of the Stranger Things kids, which Josh didn’t recognize until the guy in the too small dress bought a box of waffles. They were hanging around the microwave, pretending not to be stoned, and failing. Finally, Josh just had to ask, “Why are you guys here?”
“You guys have...

This is the first chapter of a story in process. It’s an urban fantasy that will get dark and weird – would you expect anything else? – starring an asexual female lead, and several weirdoes to come. As per usual, there is no title as of yet.
**
It was bad enough that the goblin was using a shitty time freeze spell that was unraveling by the second. He was also tripping balls on bathtub meth, which was the icing on a shit cake.
Rain always found it odd walking into a place where a spell was affecting everyone but her – and the goblin this time as well. She knew she should be grateful, seeing people frozen in mid-motion, the air around them thick like syrup. But it always reminded her how different she was, and how fun the world might be if...

In the hopes of being a bit light-hearted, I decided to do a bit of character ipod surfing. I quickly concluded that Holden listens to more cheerful stuff than Roan, and how is that even possible?! But it’s true. Weird. So here we go, on a random tour of his ipod.
Wolf Alice – Heavenward
It may be because Holden is a big fan of setting moods with music, and doesn’t necessarily listen to music specifically to overwhelm his senses like Roan, that he seems more upbeat. Leading to nice little moments like these.
My Chemical Romance – Boy Division
But we can’t forget that Holden, at his core, is pretty goddamn emo. He might admit that, depending on his mood.
The World Is A Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid To Die –...

I’ve resurrected my newsletter! And there’s an exclusive serialized story in it, about Holden joining an anti-fas group and going Nazi punching. It just started here: http://mailchi.mp/91ac598c7193/newsletter-sign-up
And if you’d like to sin up for the newsletter, click here – https://andreaspeed.us2.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=c2c00e0831d76d0798fc70236&id=4531e0879e

For my birthday, I thought I’d treat myself to a little Roan fiction. Namely, teen Roan sneaking out to a punk concert, where something monumental happens. This is a little longer than I intended, because it’s been fun being back in Roan’s mindset. Yes, he can be wrong, but you can never underestimate how ballsy he is, even as a kid. Some people are just born warriors, and Roan’s one of them. Enjoy. And sorry for the length.
**
Love Like Blood
Roan wondered how long he had before he was caught.
The thing was, when you were in a temporary crisis home, like he was, curfews were strict. You could work for some privileges, but there were none that were going to allow him to sneak out to a punk show in Seattle that he was too young to attend....

Day three of cover reveal week takes a dive into Holden’s ipod. Sure, the little music machines are being replaced by … nothing really, just iPhones, but Holden would like you to know that’s very classist, and he’s sticking to hard to trace burner phones, thank you very much.
So, in that spirit, let’s see what he listens to, and how he justifies it. (NB: Because there’s a good chance we’re all dead soon, I’m revealing the cover below. Feel free to jump to the end if you wish.)
Kilo Kish – Collected Views From Dinner
Holden: I’ve pretty much been there, or in a situation so similar this is almost painful. The problem is, sometimes if you’re someone’s secretly paid for date, you can’t tell your obnoxious dinner companions they can suck...

Day two of cover reveal week has me interviewing Chai Nayar, Holden’s friend and investigative partner. I’m happy to say he’s not a willful little snot, Holden.
A; Hello Chai, how are you?
C: I’m good, considering. Therapy’s been helpful.
A: Depression’s a beast.
C: Isn’t it just? I’d love to say I was cured, but I know it doesn’t work like that.
A; No, but I wish it would too. How’s the investigating going?
C: Oh! You know, before I started working with Holden, I didn’t even know this was a career option. Hey … can I call him Den?
A: Sure.
C: I know that’s what Scott calls him, and it is so adorable. But Holden threatened to post me as a water sports enthusiast on Grindr if I ever called him that. So I’m calling him that in secret.
A:...

As part of Holden: Throwaways cover reveal week, I decided to start off with an interview with the star of the Holden series, Holden himself. He is a slippery fellow, so I want it noted for the record I did my best.
A: Why don’t you start by telling everyone a little about yourself?
H: Fine. I was born the son of a goat herder –
A: Can you be honest for once in your life?
H: Where the hell’s the fun in that? Fine. My father was a complete lying asshole, as was my mother. I come from a long line of lying assholes, which is why I’m so good at it. Next question.
A: You’re glossing over a lot of cont-
H: I said next question.
A: You really are an asshole. Okay, why not tell us something about you that people may not know? And please don’t lie.
H: How...

Today, Bandcamp is doing a neat thing, in that they’re donating their profit from sales on their website to the Transgender Law Center. https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/07/31/this-friday-stand-with-bandcamp-in-support-of-trans-rights/ But maybe you’re saying “I don’t know if there’s anything I want to buy”. Let me help you! I’ve singled out some notable groups, and added genres as well as links.
(Also, just added: bands and labels donating their profits: https://daily.bandcamp.com/2017/08/03/labels-artists-join-us-in-donating-todays-profits-to-transgender-law-center/
)
Aesop Rock – https://aesoprock.bandcamp.com/album/the-impossible-kid
Indie rap
Aye Nako – https://ayenako.bandcamp.com/album/silver-haze Queer punk with an alt-rock...

This is a small story involving Grey and Scott, two of the Seattle Falcons hockey team from the Infected series. If you’ve never read those stories, you can follow this, which is just a little character piece during a night out on the town. I just thought we could all use a little something nice, since reality’s been really shitty lately.
**
The Crawl
Scott started this thing a couple of years ago, so it was weird to call it a tradition. But it kind of was anyway.
Before the grueling training for hockey season began – and that window grew ever shorter, especially if you were in the pros – they all got together for what was essentially a marathon of drinking and eating foods they couldn’t touch while on a training regimen. Not that Grey worried...

Making a living as an artist is really hard, guys. Unless you’re Stephen King or the Fifty Shades of Gray lady – forgot her name, and don’t care enough to Google it – you need at least one day job, and possibly two, to make ends meet. In other words, it’s hard out here for a book pimp. (I apologize.)
One answer has been Patreon, a service that allows all sorts of artists to set up subscriptions to their work. It’s a neat service, and I think it’s helping a lot of artists. I have considered joining it. Let me tell you why I haven’t.
I couldn’t get past the fact that there are a lot of readers out there who simply can’t afford to do that. Although Patreon tiers can be small – Dave Kellet, the web cartoonist, has twenty five cent tiers, which is...

This is the challenge. I had no idea where this story was going when I started it. It does remind me I want to get to this paranormal horror story I’ve had brewing in the back of my mind for ages. I wonder if I’ll ever get to it.
**
The Thorn of Prophecy
He ran to the very end of the earth, and still, he couldn’t escape.
He tried to hide in the coldest, darkest crevices of the world, in ice caves so slick and cold they’d have been death traps for anyone else. But they found him. He had no idea how, except they always did. He had gifts, but they did as well.
He put up a fight, but he was badly outnumbered, and it was always a done deal. When he woke up chained to a chair, bag over his head, he wasn’t surprised. He also wasn’t surprised by the...

As you probably know from the sheer number of soundtracks I make, music plays a big part in my writing process. It helps me get into the zone, into characters’ heads, and moves things along. Sometimes, for reasons I don’t understand, certain bands or songs will announce themselves as vital to the story in progress.
For example, These Arms Are Snakes are pretty much entirely responsible for the Infected series (with some assist from Porcupine Tree, Pansy Division, and Aesop Rock). In the chaos of the noise, you could find Roan there, trying to bury himself. He used noise to block out all other noises, smells, and sights; he tried to confound all his sense with sound, and hide from his depression. Did it work? Kind of; sometimes. And that was enough for him. You...

This is the latest writing challenge , and I got haunted house/Weird West. So here’s that story.
Witch
The Waterford Ranch radiated evil like fire gave off heat. You could sense it as soon as you stepped on the property.
Everyone in the Waterford family was slaughtered one night, in a grisly display of violence, but no one was ever caught for the crime. It was considered especially baffling since there were seven guns in the family, and none were fired, even though the oldest boy was strung up in the barn and bled out like a slaughtered sheep, the baby was thrown down the well, and the patriarch of the family was somehow impaled on the weather vane on the house’s roof. The violence was spectacular, and in most cases, impossible. Bandits were blamed, then...

Welcome to the debut of my music corner. This is a recurring segment where I will share recent musical purchases, so you can point and judge me harshly. Also, I thought there may be people who would like some of the weird ass music I like. I’ll include links, and this covers a loose collection of time – the last month or so? Thereabouts. I’m going to generally recommend albums, although I may have just picked up a song or two. I’m going to make you guess. I’ll identify genres with Bandcamp tags.
christian fitness– Slap Bass Hunks
https://christianfitness.bandcamp.com/album/slap-bass-hunks
Genre: Tagged as alternative guitar rock, and the cryptic but fabulous “protein words”. What the fuck does that mean? No idea. I like it, though.
This is a...

Lochlann is now available for pre-order! It’s my book in the Order of the Black Knights series, and my homage to La Femme Nikita, with an obvious twist.
Violence has been Lochlann O’Connor’s companion since he was born into a family of old-school Irish terrorists. From there he is recruited into Alpha, a secret government agency dedicated to fighting terrorism—with extreme prejudice. Lochlann’s bravery, efficiency, ruthlessness, and the natural deadeye aim that lets him hit anything that moves, quickly make him one of the shadowy organization’s most valued operatives.
Cas Vega joins Alpha because it’s marginally better than a prison sentence. He’s a former drug cartel assassin—or at least that’s his story. But Lochlann is suspicious....

Remember this flash fic I wrote? I finally decided to follow it up, although the story isn’t complete quiet just yet. Still, enjoy part 2.
**
2
Steve opened the door to reveal pitch blackness. In the moments it took for his eyes to adjust to the dark, he considered the possibility that he was looking into a void. Maybe the outside world had been swallowed whole, leaving them in a weird area that existed but also didn’t, like they were loose change that had slipped between the sofa cushions of existence.
But no. He started to see shapes, small piles on the ground, abandoned tools. It was the building site. It had gone from just after noon to the dead of night in no time at all. “How is it night already?” Joni asked.
Steve shrugged, stepping out onto...

12 – Carnival Magic – Another shitty, low budget kid’s film with fantasy elements, another MST3K regular.
This time, it concerns a shitty carnival, and a sad man who has a mysterious gift with animals, and pals around with a talking chimp, who just may be special enough to save the carnival. I’ve made it sound more exciting than it is. For both a kids film and a fantasy, this whole thing is weirdly lackadaisical, meandering from scene to scene with no energy or life to speak of. Even the talking chimp is weirdly taciturn and joyless, which they point out in a host segment. It’s like the film has been cursed with terminal lethargy. Slap on a rote, desultory love story, and you have a snoozefest. This film would make an excellent sleeping pill. The guys...

8 – The Loves of Hercules – The big news about this stinker is that it stars Jayne Mansfield and her bodybuilder husband. But if you know MST3K at all, you’ll know bad Hercules movies are their bread and butter.
MST3K has had some doozies throughout the years – remember sandstorm?- and this one is right up there with them. The main problem with the movie is Jayne’s husband, bless his bronzed, buff heart, can’t act worth a damn, and his thick accent is nearly enough to distract you from it, but no. She isn’t much better, trying to use her beauty to distract you from her stiffness – it almost works, and might work for some. Add to that the clunky script, the super cheap special effects – dig that painted cow/bull, the hydra, and the Montessori...

4 – Avalanche – This is by one of Mst3K’s favorite directors, Roger Corman, and this is his
attempt at a star studded ‘70’s disaster film. Being a Corman film, there really isn’t that many walking scenes – he is as famous for those as Ed Wood is for parking scenes – but there is a lot of padding in this sad attempt at a film. Even star power like Rock Hudson and Mia Farrow – seriously! Doing the worst acting of their careers – doesn’t stop this from being a lesser Corman effort, ticking absolutely every box in the ‘70’s action movie cliché list (except no super pregnant lady – probably couldn’t afford to film a labor sequence). It’s more like Swamp Diamonds Corman, than Night of the Blood Beast Corman, which means...

Here’s something no one asked for – my opinions on the new round of Mystery Science Theater 3000! I’ll eventually report on all of them, assuming the world doesn’t end in the meantime. I mean, I wish that was a joke, but sadly it’s not. Okay, so, let’s go.
1. Reptilicus – It’s hard to believe the original MST3K never got around to covering this one, as it is the perfect MST3K movie, in that not a single element works. The script, the acting, the effects, the directing, the editing – all terrible, top to bottom. A Danish attempt at Godzilla, this one fails to conjure up a single scare. It also crashes down hard in the suspension of disbelief phase, which is critical in any movie of this nature. You have to agree to go along with the movie’s...

Sadly, since it seems we’re all going to need cheering up for the near future, I decided to go ahead and do another random song thingy. Here we go. And this took on more of an international flavor than I was expecting.
**
Snowball II – Anais & Me
Ah, here’s a cheerful sounding thing to kick things off with. I know nothing about this band, save for their name being a Simpsons reference. They sound fun, though.
Japanese Breakfast – In Heaven
Today it’s going to be the day of bands I don’t know a lot about. This is actually one performer, I think, but don’t quote me on that. I’m not sure either of these songs are genuinely cheerful, but they sound like they could be, and that’s good enough for today.
De Osos – Todo el ruido entre...

With the series reboot of Mystery Science Theater 3000 coming to Netflix in April, and me in need of some cheering up anyways, I thought I’d give you some opinions on the new to Netflix episodes you should definitely watch. Also all are available to watch online elsewhere, as well as purchase.
**
Werewolf –This movie is wonderfully ridiculous, and could have been tailor made for MST3K. The movie is about a writer – who, I should note, is never actually seen writing – who picks up a case of werewolfism from being hit with the skull of a skinwalker. I should point out that none of our stars seem to be American, which wouldn’t be a problem if this wasn’t taking place in Arizona, and if anyone could, say, act. But save for Joe Estevez, who makes the...

Because it’s been a hell of a week, I decided to go ahead and be light, and just do an ipod shuffle thing. Why? Because sometimes, you need to.
**
You May Die In The Desert – Signals To Safety
Ah, an old stand by of instrumental music. This has a nicely epic feel to it, and would make excellent trailer music, if anyone ever used instrumentals in trailers. (I’m not sure they do anymore.) But feel free to imagine what an Infected series trailer would look like, cued to this music.
Gaytheist – Elderly Assassin
Yep, the song is about exactly what you think it is: folk dancing. No! It’s about an elderly assassin. It’s at once kind of funny, and kind of horrifying. Which fits.
Constant Lovers – Mush Teeth
There is a mild theme of local-ish bands –...

The latest challenge is here, and I got this picture. I decided I saw something in the picture that isn’t true. But why not?
**
“You’re gonna hafta come look at it, Steve,” Russ said, pushing his hard hat up higher on his head. Steve rubbed his eyes and sighed. This was supposed to be a simple building demolition, but at some point it had turned into a nightmare.
Steve stepped out of the trailer and followed Russ, who stopped barely twenty feet away. Steve waited, not sure what he was supposed to see, and then, when he started examining it, he thought maybe it was a prank. What did they call it? A “tromp loll” or something? A realistic picture of something painted on something else?
“There’s another building inside the building,” Russ said,...

Please share!
There’s going to be a volume 2 and/or issue 2 of the Friends For Equality music compilation and zine. Proceeds we receive online are being split evenly between ACLU, Planned Parenthood and Southern Poverty Law Center. The zine will also be sold at local events in Richmond to raise money for local social and reproductive justice organizations. The deadline for both is tentatively April 30.
We would like this compilation to be even more diverse than the last one and encourage submissions in all genres and especially would like to give a voice to people of color, women, and non-binary/LGBTQ folks. Songs should be unreleased and under 10 minutes in length. We hope that unreleased songs will generate more sales! Artwork and writing for zine does...

The F the Inauguration playlist. Speaks for itself, really.
F*** The Inauguration Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.
As requested, here’s the entire playlist in print form:
Governed by Contagions by At The Drive-In
Burn the Witch by Radiohead
Singing Of The Bonesaws by Future Of The Left
The Shit Sisters by These Arms Are Snakes
Body For The Pile by clipping. feat. SICKNESS
Atom Bomb by Beach Slang
Country Kills by Popstrangers
Can’t Truss It by Public Enemy
Thank God For Worker Bees by Botch
Mark 13 by Error Fate
The National Front Disco by Morrissey
Wearing A Bear by P.O.S
Kill the Poor by Dead Kennedys
Motherfucker by Faith No More
Everybody Gets What They Want by Wax Idols
Bear Away (Live) by The Murder City Devils
Give Violence A Chance by...

Friday is busy for some reason, so here you go. Got a flash fic at Lex’s (warning: kind of depressing), and an interview up at Nicki’s. Hopefully not depressing, but I suppose that depends on your point of view.

I haven’t done this in a while, and I thought it might be nice to do something, so here’s a random song Wednesday for you. Just hitting shuffle on my iPod and seeing what come up. (Footnote: After doing this, I am now worried about myself.)
Fvnerals – Shiver
Oh, here’s a nice little creepy song. Can’t tell you what it’s about, but do you need to know? It’s creepy! Soak in that atmosphere.
Fois Gras – Devotee
Speaking of creepy songs, here’s another. The lyrics are clearer, but that’s no help. It seems to be eerie days in my ipod.
Lionizer – Stone
A more high energy song, but this time about preferring violence to seeing someone again. Um … yeah, I’m sensing a theme here too.
Slug – Godstopper
Okay! It’s classic noise rock from...

The great musician Spartan Jet-Plex – seriously, check out her stuff on Bandcamp – is organizing a zine and live benefit show in Richmond, VA in February. The zine is looking for contributors! It can be drawings, photography, comics, poetry, editorials, whatever. The theme is social justice/civil rights but it can be general or specific, literal or abstract. It will likely be black and white due to cost. Deadline is January 2nd. It will likely be sale on the Friends For Equality Bandcamp as well. Proceeds for show and zine are going to Forward Together and Sister Song. Great causes, and I’m hoping to contribute to the zine. Won’t you join me? If you’d like to join in, drop me an email at aspeed2 at gmail dot com, and I will pass on the submission email.

I’m still working on the Holden sequel, which is too damn long. So I thought I’d treat everyone curious about it to updates and snippets. Such as this one. I will give you no context. This is simply a random part. Sorry, but I think it’s more fun that way.This bit has Roan and Chai in it, with a cameo by a couple of hockey players.
**
“Roan!” Grey exclaimed, sounding remarkably like an excited little kid. And unlike an excited little kid, Grey grabbed Roan in a bear hug and lifted him off his feet. He even shook him around a bit, like he was no more than a rag doll. Roan looked both amused and slightly ruffled at this.
“Put him down before you hurt him, you big oaf,” Scott said, with weary affection. That alone told Chai Grey had done...

Andy's Best Albums of The Year 2016 Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.
I know it seems a little early for a best records of the year compilation, but these last couple of months of terrible 2016 have been dedicated to distracting myself from thinking about reality. And what better solace is there than music? More than a few great musicians died this year too, which seemed like adding insult to injury. (David Bowie, as usual, knew exactly when to go. That bastard! Always ahead of the rest of us. If someone told me he was The Master, I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised.)
But, putting Bowie’s prescience aside, it actually was a pretty good year for music. A lot of people released good albums, and some even released great albums. In no particular...

Not a huge holiday person myself, but if you celebrate, I hope you have a good one. But for all my fellow grouches, enjoy this themed collection of songs that don’t say anything positive about families or holidays. Or both. Or neither.
Andy's Anti-Holiday Playlist from notmanos on 8tracks...

This is a book written to help very worthy causes. Please support it!
HEARTIFACT IS OUT on NOVEMBER 24TH!
Join me in welcoming Ash to my blog today with his newest novella, Heartifact! Ash advocates for abused youth and the net proceeds of this book benefit those youth in three countries. Thank you for supporting this novella! And don’t forget to scroll down and enter the giveaway!
Net proceeds benefit the The Trevor Project in the US,
le Refuge in France, and Arcigay in Italy
Heartifact is available from
Men Over the Rainbow,
Amazon, Amazon UK, All Romance eBooks, Barnes & Noble, Smashwords
WRITING THE ANTI-ANXIETY DUDE
A special thanks to Andrea for hosting me today. It’s great to be here!
If you’ve read Andrea’s books, you know she has writing...

I have to admit, I consider Thanksgiving cancelled. It doesn’t seem like there’s anything to be thankful for in this terrible, awful, beyond shitty year. 2016 should just go and eat a bag of dicks. For instance, I am personally hoping an asteroid wipes all out before 2017. But, in an attempt to not be all doom and gloom, I decided to put together a small MST3K Turkey Day marathon that you can legally stream yourself, any time you want. You don’t have to wait for (No) Thanksgiving. If you could use the levity, feel free to watch some now. Click the titles to be taken there.
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Teenagers From Outer Space
Let’s start with this evergreen classic, about a teenaged alien – maybe in his late twenties/early thirties? – coming to Earth and falling in love with...

N.B.: I meant to have this up by Halloween, but it wasn’t a great writing week for me. Sorry it’s late!
October 30th
11:23
Cindy, the woman who does the late shift – the one before my overnight hell shift – came back at this absurd time, because she forgot her phone. Normally this type of thing wouldn’t bother me – except how do you forget your phone, right? But the thing was, while she was telling me this story that I honestly didn’t care about, a zombie came in. It wasn’t a really gnarly one with bits falling off, it was a pretty fresh one, but still, clearly a zombie. To start with, zombies are always vaguely bluish, grayish, or a sort of ashy brown, depending on their original skin color. Their lips are whitish, grayish, or black,...

It’s no secret I am a big fan of horror movies, horror novels … horror. I love it, and could discuss it in great length and detail. In fact, I have before, and that includes previously listing movies I think you should watch for Halloween. This time, I decided to do something different – namely, I’m moving my annual MST3K – another thing I unabashedly love – Turkey Day marathon to now. Let’s call this an MST3K Candy Day marathon, and make a new tradition, of terrible horror movies that MST3K has made fun of over the years.
Think there aren’t that many? Au contraire! MST3K covered quite a few horror movies in their time. All terrible in their own unique ways, and in several similar ones. You can find these all playing online, but it would be...

Josh’s work is never done.
(And, super subtle plug – the collection is still on sale …)
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October 5th, 11:11 PM
The night’s first zombie, wearing the tattered remains of a Free Mustache Rides t-shirt. No one could have been deliberately buried in such a thing, right? I assume he was a frat boy who died during a keg stand and was hastily buried by his panicky brothers, who ran home and concocted some sort of missing person story. I’ve decided his name must be Cody, because they’re usually named Cody.
11: 20
I think I have a pitch script here. Accidentally killed frat brother comes back from the dead to enact revenge on his faithless brothers during pledge week. I’d call it All Frat Boys Go To Hell. The hero would be the gay college...

Josh Caplan, clerk at the Quik-Mart convenience store and lead of the Josh of the Damned series, doesn’t look forward to Halloween. If you think it’s related to his job selling snacks to monsters, you’d be wrong. Here now are some never before seen work diaries of Josh, and his overnight gig, as clerk to alternate dimension monsters and regular old humans alike.
(And, if you don’t have the Josh of the Damned series, they’re all on sale this month at Riptide.)
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October 1st, 11 PM
Arrived at work to find the Sloshy machine had backed up, and there was a small pool of Orangawesome syrup by the magazine rack. I wish when I was applying for this job, Mr. Kwan would have mentioned how much mopping I was going to have to do. I hate mopping. I...

It’s GRNW 2016, and I will be there, along with many great authors. Check out the schedule. If you see me, I’ll have poorly made paper misfortune cookies for you to rip up in anger and disappointment, as well as Roan pins, Paris postcards, and Infected: Holden cover stickers. I will sign anything, within reason.

As you may or may not know, I make a ton of playlists for my stories. But while Roan’s love of punk and noise rock is well known, Holden’s musical tastes are less well known. (Although still somewhat questionable.) So here’s a spin with Holden’s iPod, with six random songs pulled up.
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1. Green Day – Geek Stink Breath
Look, I know I’m not Roan, who’s all cool and edgy, and listens to bands no one’s heard of. I liked a few Green Day songs, and I’m not apologizing for that. We can’t all like obscure shit. Hell, before the internet, where did you even find it? We couldn’t all run away from group homes and head to the shadier clubs where they didn’t bother to card you. Not that that was an ideal way to grow up. Oh hell, I don’t know what...

I’m sure you all know Infected: Holden is out September 20th. But also coming out, on August 30th, is Private Dicks: Packing Heat, an anthology I have a story in. On September 19th, the charity anthology One Pulse will be released, and in that I have a slightly longer version of the Roan story Pride. And on November 8th, is Hearts of Darkness , my supervillains in love story....

I could have – and probably should have – done something special, or at least wait until the buy link was
active, but screw it. I’m bypassing the middlemen and passing the savings on to you. Just promise me you’ll buy it when it’s out, and we’re all good.
And, with no further ado, the cover –

Just to remind you I’m still alive – writing away, as always – I thought I’d do the five song random shuffle thing, and see if I can apply it to my characters. Let’s go.
Botch – Thank God for the Worker Bees
This one is a Roan song. Not just because he likes the screamy, aggressive music – although he does – but the repeated line “I’m the human shield” is very much applicable. Although how human is up for debate.
Pack A.D. – Haunt You Bit of a toughie to start with, but this feels like a Holden song. Much like Roan, he’d like to believe in an afterlife, just for the possibility of haunting the fuck out of so many people.
Modest Mouse – Dashboard This one is problematic...

Today’s stupid question – If you could live within one fictional universe, what would it be?
Roan: Star Trek.
Dylan: Um, hmm … tough one. I’m torn between Doctor Who and Harry Potter … let’s go Harry Potter. It’d be great to throw spells around. It’d certainly make doing the laundry a lot easier.
Holden: Mad Max. (Why?) I’d be a great killer of warlords.
Paris: Ooh … I’m trying to think of a sexy one, and it just brings to mind that there aren’t a lot of sexy alternate worlds, are there? What about Cowboy Bebop? That seems like it’d be fun.
Grey: Slap Shot. (Not sure that counts.) Fine, what did Roan pick? Trek? Fine, yeah, I’ll go with him. We can be roommates. Oh, hey, can I be a Klingon?
Fiona: Wow, this is a tricky one. How...

This has been a sucky year, and so, I thought I’d distract myself with more of this nonsense. As always, I hit shuffle on the iPod, and try to attach them to my characters. All instrumental tracks are skipped, because those could arguably go to everyone.
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Future of The Left, A Guide To Men – Oh, this is a Holden song. From using “civilized people” as an insult, and repeating the phrase “this is a song about total war”, this is all about someone’s probably doomed war against conformity and society in general. That’s Holden to a T. (And there’s this great bizarre video, which only hints at how honestly bizarre the thing the footage is taken from must be.)
Sisters of Mercy, Dominion – Ah, this little...

Considering all the awfulness that has happened since I wrote the first part of this story, I just wanted to write something nice. So that’s all this is. Something nice.
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Weirdly enough, Roan thought he could get into this, especially if a mosh pit formed. He was hoping maybe he could create one if nothing else. He ended up talking to some guys with Mohawks and band t-shirts, and they discussed music for a bit, especially the local scene. They were all despairing the upswing in twee bands, and were probably too down to start a mosh pit. Also, the music playing right now was dance music, as Holden had said, and it was impossible to mosh to that.
Roan enjoyed this, until he realized he was at least ten years older than these guys, and he got depressed....

Consider this a “lost” chapter of the Infected Holiday Special – this isn’t technically a holiday. But it’s enough of an occasion that it’s worth mentioning. Roan’s first trip to a Pride Parade. Whether he likes it or not.
**
Roan couldn’t believe what he had been reduced to. “I am not doing this,” he insisted, for what felt like the hundredth time.
Dylan sighed, and opened his car door. “You are. Now get out.”
With a dramatic groan, Roan got out of the car. They were in a parking garage, ground level, so it wasn’t a huge walk from there to the street. There were steady streams of people moving down the sidewalk, and Roan started popping peppermints to combat the overwhelming scent of so many people. He could...

I don’t actually know what the title of this one is going to be, as I haven’t officially titled it yet. (Titles are the hardest thing for me.) But here’s a preview.
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Holden scoffed, mainly at his holier than thou tone. “You are aware that the only two people in the world who give a shit that he’s dead are in this room? We’re it. Burn may have been street, but he was a bottom feeder, and you’re not gonna find a lot of people mourning him. There’s probably already a line forming to take his place. “
Kevin’s dark glare continued, but he looked away after a moment, and ran a hand over his face, the only acknowledgement from Kevin that Holden was correct.
***
Read more Rainbow snippets here: Rainbow Snippets on Facebook ...

I’m doing this around 5 Pacific/ 8 Eastern on the 25th on Facebook, with a couple of other authors. There will be Amazon gift cards and maybe more. I should be talking Infected, and taking questions. Please join us! RSVP here

Since we’re coming up on publication date – the 17th! – I thought I’d ask a question that’s actually kind of relevant.
What do you think your best quality is?
Roan: Okay, now that I’m braced for idiocy, you throw a serious question at me? Fine. I guess my sense of humor.
Holden: My adaptability.
Dylan: Uh … I’ve been told I’m patient, so let’s go with that.
Roan: I feel duty bound to butt in here and say Dylan’s best quality is everything. He is a saint of a man and deserves a Nobel Prize.
Dylan: Except when I steal the covers, right?
Roan: Yeah, ‘cause then you’re a complete bastard, and I’m taking the Nobel Prize back.
Grey: I can’t say my overwhelming size? (No.) Can I say my...

Two this time! A softball before we get really stupid.
If you were held at gunpoint and to sing a song for karaoke, what would it be? (And no, Roan, you can’t disarm this person in any way. There’s no getting out of it.)
Roan: Fuck Tha Police by NWA.
Holden: Demons by Sleigh Bells.
Grey: Paranoid Android by Radiohead.
Dylan: Oh, um. Maybe something by Elliott Smith? Not the same song everybody does. Maybe St. Ives Heaven. What did Roan say? Oh dear …
Tank: Big Balls by AC/DC.
Fiona: Whip It by Devo. You just walked into that, didn’t you?
Paris: I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses. I bet you thought I was going to say I’m Too Sexy, didn’t you?
Scott: Okay, I have two I really...

Another Flash Fiction Challenge, this one involving random photos. I pulled up this one, and the end result is a story that’s a little paranormal, and a little superhero.
Green
They called themselves the Four Horsemen, even though there were only three of them. Whether they were the real ones or weren’t was up for debate.
The one who called himself War showed up in our city on an overcast night, the full moon bright, although the strange fireball that announced his appearance made it seem dim by comparison.
He appeared to be just a man, almost skeletally thin and gangly, his skin like toughened leather stretched over a skeleton. He wore a long coat that flapped like broken wings and a wide brimmed hat that hid his face in shadows, although his eyes had...

Okay, this seemed like a fun idea at the time. Ask some of my Infected characters stupid question. Some took to it better than others. P.S.: I was going to do multiple questions, but since no one could just answer the damn question succinctly, I will spread these out until release day. (May 17th!)
1, If you could be any kind of animal, what kind of animal would you be? Note: Humans and big cats don’t count for this question.
Roan: How is that fair? I mean, my answer’s built right in. Fine, I’ll be a honey badger then. People will leave me alone, right?
Holden: What the fuck kind of question is that? Can I be mythical? (No.) Okay, platypus then. Or vampire bat. Maybe a wolverine. This is harder than I thought. It’d be much easier if I could just say...

The theme was monsters, and I decided to do it as a writing exercise. It was a lot of fun! Kudos to the artist, deanwingedchester, for her work. The kelpie is amazing! (And if you’d like to read the story, you will find it...

Since the last one was kind of fun to put together, I decided to do this again. Five songs randomly pulled up by shuffle on my iPod, and I’ll tell you who they’re most likely connected to in the Infected universe. Let’s go.
Levitate The Pentagon, Publicist UK – Ooh! Possibly the most Infected universe song on my iPod right now. It’s not only a Holden song, but a weird Holden love letter to Roan kind of song. There’s lots of great bits in here, from the choruses “pain’s a secret no one keeps/you’re the lie that I believe”, to “You were born to die in a better world than this one”, which is a thought I’m sure Holden has had about Roan. And letting the losers tell their side is pretty much what Infected is all about.
Will They or Won’t...

I decided, as part of the whole build up to the release of the Infected Holiday Special, to play a sort of game where I put my iPod on random shuffle, and the first ten songs that come up – minus any instrumentals – I will attach to characters in the Infected universe. So let’s go.
1. Motherfucker, Faith No More – Okay, this is a super easy one. Although Roan is the Faith No More fan, this is definitely a Holden song. It fits him perfectly.
2. Bathtime In Clerkenweld, The Real Tuesday Weld – This is a weirdy, but I can see this being a song Grey likes, if only to annoy and irritate others.
3. I’ve Seen Footage, Death Grips – This is easily a Tank song. In fact, I could see him insisting this be the song he skates out to in games. I can also see...

The first Tarot card reading for characters in the Infected universe got such a good response, I decided to do it for other characters in the series as well. Mostly the hockey guys, although there’s others in here as well. As before, it’s a random draw from the Major Arcana. Here we go.
Grey: For him, I pulled The High Priestess, which was a really weird card to pull for him. It’s a mystical card, and usually is good for artists to pull. But I could see how this could apply to him. He does have a certain creativity in how he presents himself to the world. He is asexual, even though he was unaware of the label until recently. But he has pretended to be mostly straight all his life, playing the role he was expected to play, with this little rebellious...

Just for fun, and in honor of the new Infected Holiday Special coming out in a month – Amazon link here! – I thought I’d draw Tarot cards for some of my characters. I limited the draws to the Major Arcana, and I want to specify that these are random draws. I let chance pick them. They just came out really apt.
Roan: The card I drew for him was Strength, which is super ironic, since it’s a Tarot card with a lion on it. And as you might guess from the name, the card is about force of character and the triumph of a higher nature over carnal desires. Does this mean Roan eventually triumphs over his lion side? Who knows? But it’s a good sign for him.
Dylan: The card I drew for him was Justice, which never occurred to me, but once I pulled...

So, the latest fic challenge is here, and I randomly got the title Seven Days of Fang. I actually had two ideas for this. One which I thought was obvious, the other which was really weird, but I ran out of room to explore. So here’s both. Pick your favorite if you have one.
Seven Days of Fang – Story 1
Ultimately, no one was sure how it happened. There were lots of theories, from genetically modified crops to terrorist action to global warming, but there’s no answers as of yet.
What happened was every human in the world woke up one day turned into animals. There was no rhyme or reason to any of the changes. The President woke up a hamster, while the Vice President woke up a musk ox. Families all became different animals entirely, including some...

I just signed the contract for Hearts of Darkness, based on the free story I did for the M/M Goodreads group, Villains. So it’s a full length adventure involving Kaede and Ash, as two supervillains fall in love and leave a high body count. Out through DSP by the end of the year!

Quick Rating: Very Good
Savoy explains his plans to Tony.
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Cover Art: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
Remember how last review I said Chew had a trope in it I didn’t like? Well, the jokes one me – and all of us – as it isn’t that trope at all. Narratively, it’s a bit of a cheat, but I’ll allow it. (It’s not like I can disallow it.)
Tony is eager to go after Savoy after what he did, and Savoy wants him to, as it’s part of his plan. Most of this issue is a long narration, as he tells the reader – and Tony – about his big plans for … saving the world, I guess? It started as a quest to tell the truth about the so called “bird flu” that led to the restriction of chickens, but ended up so much more....

I’m just going to admit it: I love writing anything set in my Infected universe.
The universe is very close to our own, with subtle and not so subtle differences, (That whole cat virus thing? And cults dedicated to it? Not subtle. Although an argument can be made for the cults ….) But more to the point, I love the characters.
There are way, way more than I anticipated when I started writing it. I thought there’d be this small core group, but the world expanded, and suddenly I had a boatload of lovable and not quite lovable weirdoes. If there’s any overall theme to Infected as a whole, it’s that we’re all weirdoes, and it’s okay. Although some people are just weirder others. (And that’s okay too.)
Somehow that all leads us to the upcoming Infected...

Savoy declares war on Tony.
Writer: John Layman
Artist: Rob Guillory
Color Assists: Taylor Wells
Cover Art: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
Building off last issue, Savoy doesn’t take Tony’s rejection of his plan to work together well at all. This leads to some bloody consequences. I won’t spoil, but I will say a trope I hate is used here, and yet the writier in me says it’s okay in this instance, because at least this person was a character in their own right before this happened. Also, shit happens, and just because it happens to this particular character, doesn’t make it a trope. Still … am I a little uneasy about it? Yeah. That’s unavoidable.
But you knew Savoy was going to react badly to rejection, and this makes sense for...

So The Infected Holiday Special isn’t out until May 17th, and Infected: Holden isn’t out until fall. But I did start writing the next Holden book, and this is the first chapter of it. It’s not edited, but there are no spoilers for Infected: Holden. It’s just Holden acting as a P.I. on a case that just irritates him. Grumpy Holden is fun Holden.
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1- A Guide To Men
Holden had always been very proud of the fact that he didn’t give a shit about fashion. He was happy whenever he could subvert a shitty stereotype. Which was why it was annoying him that he was so bothered by his wardrobe.
He prided himself on dressing to fit the role, whatever the role was, from cheap ass street hooker to classy, expensive dom. But dressing down to blend...

Yes! The only problem is, you get stuck with my terrible voice and sometimes stumbling delivery. And I do talk about a couple of the stories, so there’s that, if it sweetens the pot at all.
http://AndreaSpeed.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/book1.wma

Quick Rating: Very Good
Title: Last Suppers, Part 3
Savoy tries to come to a détente with Tony.
Writer: John Layman
Art: Rob Guillory
Cover Art: Rob Guillory
Publisher: Image Comics
From that description, as meager as it is, you should know this is a bad idea. As it turns out, an ambitiously bad idea, as
Savoy comes up with a way to force Tony to see his side of things, or so he thinks. This flawed plan goes bad immediately, and while they have to work together – kind of – to find a way out of it, Tony isn’t really swayed by Savoy’s arguments. And how could he be? Even if you ignored everything else Savoy has done to Tony, the fact that he cut off a piece of him and ate him is pretty unforgivable. Tony even reminds him of this, but Savoy is pompous...

Hanukkah 2: The Reckoning
(There is a story in the upcoming Infected Holiday Special entitled Hanukkah. So calling it #2 and giving it a nonsensical sub-tile felt appropriate.And minor spoilers if you haven’t read Infected: Epitaph yet. )
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Roan had a feeling Dylan was up to something. He just had no idea he’d spring it on him at the gallery.
Dyl had a two week showing at the Lohmann-Chang Gallery, a small but apparently super hip place in downtown Vancouver. It struck them both that Dylan was an odd choice for the showing at the middle and end of December, but since when did any hipster place have a sense of sentimentality? So Dylan’s paintings of bleeding machines, colorful, geometric abstracts, and isolated, painted body parts – all...

How does Holden spend the holiday, now that Roan has moved? Now you know.
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Throwaways
Holden had been hoping global warming would eventually give Seattle a warm November, but no luck this year. He sunk deeper into his bomber jacket and felt like an idiot. He needed a more stylish warm weather jacket, but what was that? They probably existed, but he had no idea where to look for them. Once a peasant, always a peasant, he supposed. He wished gay boys were just born with a fashion guide in their hand, like some assholes seemed to think, but he supposed he and Roan – especially Roan – were living proof that this was not true.
The boulevard was as close to deserted as it ever got, because most people were home, dealing with the bullshit holiday that was...

The book isn’t out for a bit, but it seemed like the soundtrack would be appropriate earlier. No holiday songs! These are character specific songs. So you’ll know who’s in the book.
The Infected Holiday Special Soundtrack from notmanos on 8tracks...

So Mystery Science Theater 3000 is being relaunched, which is great, but in the meantime, Thanksgiving is getting here first, and you need something to watch right now. I thought that I’d recommend some of the lesser known MST3Ks for your Turkey Day perusal. We all know The Final Sacrifice, Werewolf, and Manos: The Hands of Fate are great, but there are other treasures waiting to be found in their massive back catalog. Here’s a few you may not have seen. And while they’re all available online, and I have included links, some are available for purchase, and I must encourage you to buy them if possible, and if you enjoy them.
Prince of Space
A badly dubbed Japanese children’s film is a wonderland for the crew, as there’s so much weirdness and little...

There’s a Tumblr bit going around, about “casting” your NanoWriMo projects, and I thought that might be a fun way of prodding me on to finish my novel (along with the soundtrack.) So here’s the cast of Hearts of Darkness … at least for now. The story of two super villains in love, and the heroes and villains that get in their way.
Kaede – The son – or possibly the clone – of a infamous mad scientist supervillain called Doctor Terror. Having grown up semi-secretly in the looming shadow of a hated, yet eccentric and strangely distant villain, Kaede is at once feared and ridiculed, and uncertain about his own identity and place in the world. He is constantly underestimated by heroes and villains alike, taking him for a fragile, pampered boy nothing...

For Halloween, I usually put out a list of movies, but I’m repeating myself and decided to do a little something different this year. I was going to recommend a Hannibal TV series viewing party, where you’d just watch all the episodes. I don’t know if they’re all available legally online, but you can get the DVDs that are out and watch those. I recommend every single episode, because even the ones that don’t cohere completely are a visual feast for the eyes. The cinematography is top notch. And I’m completely in the tank for the new Ash Vs The Evil Dead series, sight unseen.
But there is another series that has been on the air for coming on eleven seasons (no, really, that’s a fucking ridiculous amount of time), Supernatural. It’s been on way too...

Because I haven’t posted anything for a while, I thought I’d post a picture of all the figurines that stand at the top of my monitor as I write . They judge me harshly, in all their plastic wisdom. And yes, I realize only one is human, and he’s technically a mutant. But I can take or leave non-mutant humans, I suppose.

11 – Back In Black
Sam looked out at the pond, and tried to remember when he had ever seen this place. When he was five maybe?
He was standing on a back porch that looked kind of rickety, but you couldn’t argue with the view. A placid blue-gray oval of water, a couple of ducks bobbing on the surface, with scattered clots of willows and aspens arranged around the perimeter. This was some hunter’s home, wasn’t it? A friend of their dad’s. Sam couldn’t recall any of the finer details, just this peaceful view, which was so unlike the motels and truck stops and other random places that made up his scattered childhood.
“Hey Sammy,” Dean said.
He turned to find Dean standing there, but he knew somehow this was Dean and yet not Dean. What was...

10 – Misfits and Mistakes
(Falling, falling forever -)
Dean had had just about enough of waking up in pools of blood. If only he could stop it.
When he had the strength to move, he pushed himself off the floor, and felt his gut tear. He gasped and put a hand to his stomach, only to feel warm blood gushing out of him. He wasn’t sure if it was a gunshot wound or a stab wound; it was an opening that was making his blood drain out. He sat back against the wall, putting pressure on the wound, until he got an idea of where he was. He was back at Bobby’s place, which was good, because he had buttloads of first aid stuff, but he was in Bobby’s study, which didn’t have that kind of thing. Had booze, though.
He managed to reach one of Bobby’s...

9 – Pushing The River
Dean regained consciousness running.
Which would seem impossible, but he had no memory of anything before he suddenly found himself running through a forest, jumping over fallen logs and swerving to avoid trees. He had the sense something big and bad was after him, and had been after him for a very long time. His lungs were burning, and his knee was starting to ache.
He had a handgun in his right hand, and when he turned to look back at what exactly was following him, he saw nothing but darkness. Darkness that was corrosive, eating the woods at it progressed, flowing like water and washing away everything in its path. He emptied the gun into it, but it did nothing. Reality was simply being erased, and why did he think shooting...

8 – Drown With Me
Sam knew he had to pick both the time and space where he deployed the Belial artifact carefully. He would be damning a particular spot to constant death. Nothing would ever grow there again. But it was better a mile of land died than the whole planet, so certain sacrifices had to be made.
He figured out the best bet was Oak Grove Cemetery, on the far outskirts of town. It was near an industrial area that was pretty well contaminated anyway, and the cemetery itself had gone to seed. It was mostly just a hang out spot for bored Goth teens. They’d probably find everything being mysteriously dead around it a huge turn on.
On his way there Sam stopped to see if anything worked on the Darkness. It was a big fat no on rock salt and...

7 – Bear Away
Crowley tried to remember the last time he was in London. Was it ’82? Something like that. The Thatcher years had been a real boom time for him, as people couldn’t sell their souls fast enough. Since these things were cyclical, he was pretty sure the city was ripe for harvesting, as he had a feeling the new boss was going to be great for business. You could smell desperation in the air.
Well, mostly it was smoke at the moment, because half the city was on fire. London wasn’t alone in having Great Fire number two, as most major cities worldwide were burning. Governments had been overthrown, the economy had broken wide open, and everything was burning. Humans were not coping well with their new reality, which would also be damn good...

6 – Dam That River
Sam knew he was taking as long as humanly possible to secure the Book of the Damned in the forbidden vault. But he also had no desire to move any faster. In fact, he wished he could stop time completely.
Because Cas was eager to get this whole Ascension thing started, and seemed to either not notice or just ignore the fact that Dean’s time as a Human could now be counted in minutes. Sam guessed that if he were alive, his anxiety about this would be in the stratosphere, but at the moment it had a weird removed quality to it. He could see his anxiety, examine it from all angles, and yet could neither dismiss it or experience it entirely. He was starting to feel death in bits and pieces, even if it couldn’t fully commit.
This was...

5 – This Corrosion
“Find another way,” Sam said, still steaming mad at Cas. But why? Dean knew that getting Death involved in any of this was all his fault. “That isn’t happening.”
But Dean, after his initial shock, realized that it didn’t scare him as much as it should have. In a way, this reeked of inevitability. He was always very good at killing. Seemed he was born to it. “What if you killed me, taking the mantle back?” Dean asked. He could see Sam’s reaction out of the corner of his eye, and it was exactly what he expected.
Cas shook his head. “You’d have to fully take the mantle first. Believe me, I looked for a loophole.”
“This is crazy,” Sam said.
“If I’m Death, I can bring everyone back to life,...

4 – Diamond Dogs
There was little doubt that things were as bad as they had ever been. But Crowley wasn’t sure what to do about any of it.
Hell was a little chaotic, because panic was slowly but surely leaking out into the demon population. It was hard to say if the lack of death or the reemergence of the Darkness was the more bothersome thing, because they both had some solid negatives. None of this was a win for demon kind. It wasn’t a win for anyone, except maybe some Humans who really wanted to live forever, no matter how shitty the world was.
He was pouring himself a drink in his throne room when he sensed the angelic incursion, and he turned to find Castiel standing there. Somehow he was not surprised.
Two of his largest demon guards...

3 – Witching Hour
Metatron couldn’t believe those shaved apes did it.
He knew it was within the realm of possibility that they would destroy the world, and in fact it was a guarantee they would at some point – most evolved races ran into that problem at a certain point. But the thought that the Winchesters would? Crazy. They were so stupid! Did they not think that maybe the Mark of Cain existed for a reason beyond the obvious? He knew Castiel was out of the loop, because obvs, but it was hilarious to think those buffoons could accomplish anything. They weren’t good more than they were lucky, and they had a habit of picking good allies. While Cas was pathetic, he did have his moments, and Crowley was quite possibly the cleverest demon he had ever...

2 – Game of Thorns
Crowley could not recall a time when he was so furious. You’d think, in all his years, from mortal to King of Hell, he’d have gotten this enraged. But oh no. What a mother did to her children.
While that witch bitch somehow froze him, powerless, to the spot, he wasn’t really as powerless as she thought. As Castiel was growling like a pit bull and bleeding from the eyes, bearing down on him with an angel blade, Crowley summoned minions to put space between him and the rabid angel.
A couple died, sure, but one of the smart ones brought some holy oil, and now they had Castiel confined to a circle, which he kept trying to get out of, as mindlessly as a rat in a cage. He was still snarling, still crying tears of blood, and still...

So, Supernatural has limped to a close, and once again, I find myself underwhelmed, and a little upset. Yes, the show has been on way too long, but it can be a whole lot better than it is. So, between more “serious” writing, I decided to write my own fanfic, fixing the problem, and giving everyone an idea how I’d end Supernatural. You probably don’t care. But if you do, here it is. (Yes, these aren’t my characters, no ownership intended, it’s fanfic, you know the drill.)
(Season ten spoilers, obviously.)
**
1 – The Beginning of the End
Even before he fully regained consciousness, Dean knew something was wrong. The hell of it was, he didn’t know what.
He wasn’t in pain, which was the first thing he noticed. If...

The hop has come around again, and I am forced to ask why is this still a thing? (For more about this day, please go here: http://dayagainsthomophobia.org/) Seriously, homophobia is the stupidest thing ever, and that goes for biphobia and transphobia as well. What are you scared of, exactly? Afraid you’ll catch it, and suddenly think boys or girls are the best thing ever? Or that you’re trapped in the wrong body? These things aren’t communicable. Your kids can’t “catch it” by simply acknowledging that these things exist in the world.
In many ways, society has been moving forwards in leaps and bounds, but yet there are still pockets of ignorance and resistance that seem to be becoming more intractable as things get better elsewhere. Why? There’s...

just signed the contract for the Infected Holiday Special, which is a group of holiday themed shorts set in the Infected universe! Along with short stories involving Roan, we get stories from the POV of Paris, Dylan, Kevin, Fiona, Grey, Dropkick, and more! Looks like it will be out next year.

.The latest writing challenge I used Pavowski’s opening line, for my sci-fi/cyberpunk throwback.
Past Prologue
I had hoped that my past had forgotten me… right up until the moment they kicked the door in.
I rolled out of bed, blaster in my hand, and fired even as I dropped to the floor and hid behind the frame. Green bolts lit up the room like a disco, dissolving furniture and leaving huge holes in the wall. “I’m wanted alive, you stupid fucks,” I yelled, shooting back. Well, assuming the original wanted call was still ongoing. Maybe something had changed in the interim.
My assailants wore the concealing black armor of the UPF, meaning they were kind of out of their jurisdiction … maybe. The laws were pretty loose on Gaora, which was why I’d been...

Although it was a genuine writing challenge, I just wanted to write something with as many curse words as possible in the smallest amount of space. This has no redeeming qualities.
**
“What kind of fucknuggets did people used to be?” Roman asked, scratching his head.
They’d been hard at work unearthing artifacts of the early twenty first century, and this was one of the most startling yet. It was right up there with that woman famous for her gigantic ass on a show that was purported to be reality. “I don’t know,” Audra admitted. “This fucking Clean Reader app supposedly sanitized books for motherfuckers who couldn’t take one fucking bad word or dick-punching anatomical terms.”
““What the fuck ..? What kind of dick...

This was a writing challenge, to a write a story of one hundred words or less. Here’s mine.
**
Everybody Hates Monday
When the ground shook, Luis thought it was an earthquake. But once the explosions started, he realized something else was going on. He joined many of his office mates crowding up to the twelfth floor windows, looking out on the city. A huge red alien octopus looking thing had squashed the Tacoma Dome, and was slapping fighter jets out of the sky like flies. “Who had giant aliens in the apocalypse pool?” he asked, hoping it was no one.
Not that it mattered. He doubted he’d be around long enough to pay off on...

First I got a lovely review for Infected: Paris. Then I got a lovely review for Infected: Prey. And then I got a lovely one for the Infected series as a whole. Thanks everyone!
And the Kindle giveaway is nearing its end date. Join now if you want to get in on...

First, I’ll be having a Twitter takeover of @DSPPublications on February 26th, from 5-7 pm Pacific Time. (Adjust your time accordingly.) I’ll be talking Infected: Paris, the Infected series, and anything you want! Please join me.
And as a bribe, here’s a free all Infected covers wallpaper! If you want a different size, let me know on any one of my social networks.

This was the latest writing challenge, latest writing challenge, and I got Harry Potter meets True Detective. Well, I tried.
**
Dark at Heart
The letters burned green in the air, hovering over the charred corpse like a video advertisement.
Her partner, Burdett, sighed, impatiently shifting his weight foot to foot. “So, is it?”
Katya’s green eyes finally glanced away from the mystic sigils only she could see, the scar on her cheek tingling with residue magic. “No, Holt, people routinely burst into flames in meat freezers. Of course it was done by him. Or his people. The magic’s so similar it’s kind of hard to tell.”
He groaned and turned away, heading for the open door crisscrossed by crime scene tape. They’d turned off the freezer, but there was...

3 – Krill
Holden was in the shower, pondering whether he should use the fruity smelling conditioner or the one that smelled a bit like bad aftershave – for some stupid reason, all “men’s conditioner” was a variation of bad aftershave – when his phone hummed and jittered on the sink. Because of its proximity to the porcelain, it made much more noise than he anticipated, and was kind of startling. Still, he conditioned his hair, mixing both kinds together, because what was he, an animal? He wasn’t risking split ends due to a text.
When he got out of the shower, he checked his phone, and saw that he was indeed texted an address from an unknown number. Towel around his waist and still dripping, he went to the living room so he could check the...

As a New Year’s treat, here’s part 2 of the Holden story. Mostly set up, but I hope it pays off …
2 – Part Man/Part Negative Space
Holden headed home to take a shower and wash the blood and fear stink off of him. Other people’s fear stink was always the worst, as it seemed to cling to you like cigarette smoke. Still, he had this good peppermint goat’s milk soap that seemed to obliterate any scent, no matter how tenacious. Even hockey stink, which he knew was difficult to get rid of at the best of times.
Afterward, he slipped into his velvet “lounging pants” (pyjama pants, but that seemed too immature), and poured himself a big tumbler full of gin, which he threw a lemon wedge in for vitamins. (He could just about hear...

More Twitter fun: @FrogCroakley @aspeed Your standing challenge is now “the girl who could only see trains”. the story must also contain a tame bat.
Here’s the result:
It figured that the first day of his new job, his car wouldn’t start. On the bright side, it gave Jeremy the chance to worry about how he was going to get to work, rather than obsesses over whether or not he’d make a fool of himself in front of his new boss.
He wasn’t too far from the train station, so he caught a lift with a grumpy neighbor. Something about the station looked run down, gone to seed. Then again, when was the last time he’d caught the train? University, probably. Seemed like a lifetime ago.
He went up to the ticket booth, digging out his wallet, and said,...

If you know anything about Roan, you probably know he’s not big on holidays. Which is probably why I’m putting together a collection of Infected shorts based around holidays. He may hate them, but he keeps running up against them again and again. This one concerns him and Dylan at Christmas, a holiday that neither particularly look forward to. But it’s good to have friends.
**
Merry Christmas, Roan
Roan was taking a long, hot bath, when he thought he heard voices downstairs.
Now Dylan was up, he knew that simply because he could smell his heavenly huevos rancheros cooking, and also he wasn’t in bed when he woke up. But Roan assumed Dylan was alone. It was technically Christmas Eve, though. Had his sister Sheba come over?
Dylan normally told...

This one came from a request on Twitter: @FrogCroakley – @aspeed will you do me a 200 one about a man with crab DNA struggling to make it as a con artist in future las vegas?
Okay. It’s actually a bit over 200 words, and the bizarre thing? I could have kept going.
**
Crabby
Carver looked out at the heat waves rising from the asphalt, and wondered how anything human ever survived such heat.
Even in the walkway suspended between Shell’s Tropicana Casino and the Hallburton Mayfair Hotel, you could feel just a bit of the heat bleeding in through the plasteel. The air conditioning was fighting a losing battle when the sun was out.
A couple of pasty, overweight tourists trundled past him, and he pulled his baseball cap low over his eyes, even though he...

Another random title challenge random title challenge, and I came up with Murderer’s Corps. Any relation to any other super powered group is coincidental.
Murderer’s Corps
Cariad knew something had gone wrong when she heard a high pitched shriek that could only be Ko getting caught off guard. “Is there a situation?” she asked.
Delphi came over the comm.. “Blockhead showed up. Wasn’t he supposed to be in jail or dead or something?”
Cariad sighed. Blockhead – well, he called himself Hardhead, but somehow that was even worse – was one of those super strong guys who was also really brutal and really dumb. He gave all the super strong blockheads a bad name.
“I’ll fry the son of a bitch.” Tomas said, with his usual homicidal...

This time the challenge was seasonal horror, which is a specialty of mine (please search for Jingle Hell on this site, the first of my holiday horror stories). But this one took a weird turn, and it might be a dark comedy? At least at the end. Don’t know if it works, but if you know what R’lyeh refers to, you can probably see this one coming.
Seasons Greetings From R’lyeh
When Ben first heard the noise downstairs, he thought it was Santa Claus. Until he remembered that Santa Claus didn’t exist.
It had to be a burglar. Never mind that he lived in a gated community, and it was specifically advertised as being more crime free than those other neighborhoods. Nowhere was safe nowadays, was it? He grabbed his gun from the drawer of his nightstand and...

Maybe you know by now that I’m working on an Infected Holden spin-off. I have no idea what the title will be (Infected: Holden makes sense in one respect, but not in another), but I do have a first chapter I thought I’d share with you. Holden is a very different beast than Holden, as you surely know, and any story told from his point of view is going to be different. Perhaps this chapter is a good representation of that. As you can see, he’s going soft. *cough (*Using sarcasm online. Always a tricky proposition.)
1 – Blood, Muscles, Bone
His cell phone hummed in his pocket, and Holden answered it without looking. It could only be Otter. “It’s him,” he said, and hung up. Holden pocketed his phone, and pulled the black leather gimp mask...

I used to write a bit of fanfic, and when I heard this was going on, I figured what the hell, might be fun to do a bit of ficcing again. Their page is here, and my assignment was to have Captain Jack (from Doctor Who and Torchwood) and Commandant Grayza (from Farscape) run into each other in a bar. From there, the story was mine. So this is the result. (And Grayza’s exile is actually a reference mostly to the post-Peacekeeper Wars comics. I’m just assuming that’s in canon.)
**
Title: Singularities
Author: AndreaSpeed
Prompt: Captain Jack Harkness goes into a bar and meets… Grayza (Farscape)!
Fandoms: Farscape (TV), Doctor Who (TV), Torchwood (TV)
Word count: 12,833
Rating/Contents: PG – Some bad language. No warnings...

Per request, here is a list of Roan’s tattoos. It is incomplete, because I’m pretty sure I always forget one or two. I’ll edit and add as I remember them, but please keep in mind this guy has so many now it’s hard for me to keep track. But here we go.
Bleeding heart with a Paris ribbon across it
Leo astrological symbol
Biohazard symbol
Paintbrush with Dylan ribbon
Quote from Krapp’s Last Tape (I will reprint it here if you want, but it’s depressing)
Japanese inkbrush style tiger (Dylan did this for him)
Koi fish forming a yin/yang symbol (Dylan did this for him too)
Cat’s eye peering out of a rip in the skin (Dylan did this too)

Out November 18th!
While it wasn’t the first time Roan had been at Gracie’s diner at one in the morning, it was the first time he’d been here with Dee.
Roan had been at Panic, trying to make up with Dylan for a fight they’d had earlier (over Roan sleeping in the cage, of course, a common thing to fight about nowadays), when Dee called him and asked to meet at the all-night diner. He sounded so oddly subdued and distracted that Roan agreed. He wondered if Dee and Luke had finally broken up for good.
When he arrived, he found Dee at a back corner table, alone with a cup of diesel-grade coffee and a picked-at slice of apple pie. On closer inspection, Roan realized Dee hadn’t eaten any of it, simply autopsied it with his fork, leaving a jumble of innards...

So, this is a weird one. Chuck Wendig just issued a writing challenge centered around bizarre stock photos. And this just came to me as soon as I saw this photo. Make of it what you will.
The Sensorians
(Open on the Channel Eleven News, already in progress):
Blandly handsome anchor: – the puppy was saved. In spite of that, there were no survivors.
(Cuts to camera two)
Anchor: And now, onto our lifestyle report with Ladonna Merton. Today, she looks at a fad that’s sweeping the nation. Ladonna?
(Cut to camera three, and Ladonna Merton. She is acceptably, vaguely ethnic, although really she looks pretty white. She has her hair excruciatingly styled in a painful updo.)
Ladonna: Thanks, Tom. Do you remember the Zone Diet? What about the Paleo Diet? Now...

Just a couple of things, as a bit of background.
I’m putting together a collection of holiday related Infected universe set shorts. Why? Because it struck me as a kind of funny idea, as holidays don’t really mean a lot to Roan or his friends. But in the course of writing these, I have discovered there are things I actually want to say. Be it ruminations on them themselves, as characters, background info, or small moments that never made it to the novels but feel like missing scenes.
Which brings me to Connor Monaghan, Roan’s tragic, bad boyfriend. For a man who’s never technically showed up in any of the Infected novels (a dream sequence doesn’t count), he plays a huge part. Roan did love the guy, and yet Roan also left him shortly...

This was inspired by the latest Chuck Wendig writing challenge, but those stories were supposed to be horror, and this deviates from that. It’s just me being silly with the idea of a disease caused apocalypse … and the disease is pretty underwhelming. (If the title doesn’t make sense to you, Google Jean-Paul Sartre.)
**
No Exit
We knew the disease had reached our shores when the news anchor on channel five just gave up, mid human interest story.
He was talking about an otter that had befriended a goat, when he suddenly glared at the teleprompter like it was insulting his mother, and slumped back in his chair. “Whatever, I don’t fucking care anymore,” he said, as the adorable footage played on in a small square to the left of his well...

I should say that the title of the story of this fiction challenge is Important!!! Please Read!!!, as it’s based on spam. I tried. Much like actual spam, the punctuation is deliberately hit and miss.
**
Important!!! Please Read!!!
Do you want a longer, harder cock? A cock as hard as stone, a cock that would plunge through the earth’s surface like a missile, a cock that throbs like a second heart, a cock that is damned and howls with the names of the Old Ones, hard as a soulless homunculus, one that screams into the void and is answered by the Nameless Horror that lurks in the shadows behind your eyes, waiting to pounce, waiting to corrupt you, to enfold you in its long, hard cock, and fuck the world, fuck the universe back into void and shadows, fuck the...

And on the occasion of the relaunch of the Infected series, I thought I’d write a little something about it. But when I sat down to do it, I realized I wasn’t sure what I was going to say.
What is there to say? The Infected series has been a part of my life for longer than the books have been published, and it’s a place I like to be. It’s like our own universe, except not quite. Things are a little different. Namely, there’s a cat virus, but also, on a very minor level, I’ve altered Seattle’s geography a little. (There are some streets that don’t exist in actual Seattle, and some genuinely existing streets that lead to other places – this is called the whims of an author with a very bad sense of direction, who just likes to monkey around with...

This is the latest flash fic challenge from Chuck Wendig. And here’s my story. Thanks to CDNWMN for the sentence.
**
Rapture
Demons and angels are sometimes hard to differentiate, and they are even harder to kill. I know this the hard way.
I fired off the last round of silver buckshot before slamming the door. Salt and silver nitrate were fixed to the floor by glue, but that would be a minor inconvenience for the big boys. Even the sacred symbol made of iron nails hammered into the ceiling wouldn’t hold them back for long. This was it.
I retreated behind the overturned sofa, where I had piled up all my ammo. I broke open the shotgun as I sat down, and loaded the chambers with the hybrid shells I’d invented. They contained silver shavings, iron...

I was kind of curious to check in with Dropkick, one of Roan’s few cop buddies, and see how she saw Roan. So here’s a story that does just that.
**
Not for the first time, Darinda Murphy was sure that she was married to a crazy person.
If the alarm clock was on her side of the bed, she’d have probably have had it tuned to the Mexican pop station, because it was the type of music that annoyed her enough to wake her up, but didn’t annoy her enough to make her homicidal. (That would be the country station.) But it was on Kim’s side of the bed, since Darinda had broken the last two clocks (the second time was an accident, but Kim didn’t believe her), and she kept it tuned to NPR. Their low voices and dry subjects threatened to put Darinda back to...

GRNW was great! Hope I saw you there. (Or you saw me.) And I have some release date for you. The new, DSP versions of Infected: Prey and Infected: Bloodlines releases October 14th. October 21st will see the release of Infected: Life After Death and Infected: Freefall, and Infected: Shift will be released October 28th. Infected: Lesser Evils will be in stores November 4th; Infected: Undertow comes out on November 11th. Then, on November 18th, Infected: Epitaph. I will post pre-order links as they come in.

The story concludes here. But it could always go on, I know …
*
Another thing that sucked about hunting big cats in the city? The noise level.
Roan could hear everything around him, from the music leaking from Panic to the music thudding from car stereos jacked up to weaponized levels, to conversations on the street to revving motors at red lights, to the audio cues from electronic street signs. It was easy to get distracted by this discordant symphony of noise, but it didn’t have the built in, inherent danger of scents. That’s where the real danger was.
His sense of smell was better than his hearing (although his hearing was a bit better than the average human –lucky him) by far. He was a legal bloodhound, after all. But what absolutely...

Yes! So, I got a mad posh to offer another free Infected story, this time taking place on Halloween. Only it became a longer one than I expected. So here’s part one of Devil’s Night.
**
Infected: Devil’s Night
Sometimes, Roan was genuinely horrified at how geeky he was. At least he wasn’t alone.
Panic was having a big Halloween party, and it fell on one of Dylan’s work nights, so of course he was going to do it up big. He wanted Roan there, and he knew he’d have to be in costume too.
He grumped about it, but the truth was, Halloween was probably the only holiday Roan genuinely liked. When he was a kid, he loved dressing up, and most of all he loved free candy. What kid didn’t?t He didn’t...

I know, another story? But yes, another. Here was the challenge,and the title I ended up with was Interstitial Eschaton. This is the story that resulted out of me puzzling out that title.
**
Interstitial Eschaton
From a distance, the body floating in the water looked like a log.
It was impossible to say how long it had been there. It was face down (mercifully), but as swollen and discolored as you might expect, its arms missing and ragged strips of fabric trailing from its shoulder sockets like streamers. Jace used an oar to push it away from the boat, even though it could be nothing but a smelly and gross distraction. She had nothing to fear from its diseased flesh.
She was immune from the virus that had wiped out about two-thirds of America. She had no idea...

Latest flash fic challenge, and this resulted. I’m not quite sure why this story happened the way it did. Hmm. Whoever knows?
**
Shades of Blue
He was a vision, a bronze god with a chest like sculpted gold. His torso was a vee, tapering down to a slender waist and a firmly muscled stomach, his hipbones visible but not prominent.
Cullen found this god on Grindr, and miraculously was able to come over to his place. He lived in a condo on the East side, not cheap, and his décor looked like it came wholesale from a mid-range catalog.
The Adonis, who said his name was Gavin, was honestly a five in the face. He had a rugged jaw, but it didn’t quite fit with the rest of his visage, from his small nose to his sunken eyes. His haircut was trendy, short, and...

I decided to call it that since I seem to be weird on purpose. I apologize.
**
Black Cab– Sexy Polizei
I’m the type of person who will blindly click Bandcamp links of people I follow on Twitter, just to see if I find something I like. That’s the case with Black Cab, a band I know nothing about, except I liked two of their songs enough that I bought them. This is one of those songs.
Esben and the Witch – Deathwaltz
Okay, sometimes I download the free mixes of record labels to see if there’s any songs I like. Which is where I got this song from. I can’t be alone in doing these things, right?
Antigen Shift – This Is An Exit
Another random Bandcamp find. I ended up buying the entire album. It’s really good....

And here’s the Coming Soon info for Infected: The Lost Weekend!
Roan is hired by Scott to look for a hockey player friend of his. After a long night of celebratory drinking, Scott can’t quite remember what happened to his friend, and he isn’t answering his cell. Roan discovers Scott’s friend was much more troubled than he ever realized, and that some mysteries should remain unsolved.
Now, just a note: If you want to buy any of the Infected books under the Dreamspinner Press imprint, you must do so by August 30th. Because the whole series is going out of print September 1st (save for The Lost Weekend), so it can be relaunched under the DSP imprint in October. The covers are the same, but I have been through the books with a fine toothed comb, so there will...

New Chuck Wendig writing challenge, new fiction. I’m not going to lie to you, this is super depressing. But it’s what came to me.
Breathing Around Our Abandon
Ultimately, we don’t know what caused it.
Communication had been spotty at best for the three days before, blamed on an increase in sunspot activity as well as a variety of disruptions to the electrical grid. From the viewing ports at the base, we could make out the red algae bloom that took up a good third of the Pacific Ocean. It was actually kind of pretty, if you didn’t think about what it meant. The same was true of the hurricanes along the Eastern seaboard.
We knew tensions were high. Hell, the moonbase was staffed by Steve, a Canadian; Kathleen, an American; and Ivan, a Russian,...

I’ve always been told I should have a general “writer’s graphic”, but I never knew what it would be or how it would be done. To my rescue came Dany Yáñez, @ashesafirewoken on Twitter, who made this great graphic for me. (He also did that great fan art of Roan I posted a while back. Talk to him, he loves making art.)

Of course, that’s a trick question, as the answer is always no. Apparently I can’t stop it.
Kinski – Last Day On Earth
A bit of shaggy rock, with no overarching message. And at under two minutes, it makes its point and gets the hell out.
Dead Milkmen – Stuart
A classic bit of punk comedy, where the redneck of the song begs Stuart to listen to him about what the “queers are doing to the soil”. In concert with gay aliens, of course. Everybody who talks about gay marriage being the ruin of society always reminds me of this guy. Thanks, Dead Milkmen.
Porcupine Tree – Synesthesia
Mopey prog rock! I don’t like a lot of it, but I do like Porcupine Tree, who always try and do something interesting with it.
Bear In...

I know, I’m really specializing this. But they had a customizable card thing, and I couldn’t help myself. Right click, save, and print them out. If you actually use these, you must email me and let me know what the funniest ones were. I’d love to know. customcards

The only connecting thread here is gloom, doom, noise, and weirdness. Which figures.
**
Nine Black Alps – Cosmopolitan
Quite possibly the most “normal” song on this list, a straight ahead rock song … until you realize it’s totally taking the piss out of women’s magazines. Which is pretty cool, just weird from an all male rock band.
The Sisters of Mercy – This Corrosion
A piece of weirdly pop-y goth rock from the masters of weirdly pop-y goth rock. My ipod has the standard length song, which means almost ten minutes of this nonsense, which is honestly great fun. But check out this so ’80’s post-apocalyptic video! Goddamn it. It didn’t matter that it was the ’80’s, they fucking refused to...

Just a brief, fluffy story, but I felt it’s the least I owe everyone.
**
Roan put his finger against the plastic fishbowl, wondering if the big goldfish inside would see it. He wasn’t going to tap it, because that seemed cruel, and non-humans had to stick together, right? Unless one was dinner, but that was another story. Besides, if Dyl had his way, he’d be the first vegetarian lion in existence. (Possibly also the last.)
Dylan pulled out one of the red leather stools and sat beside him. “We’re not so bored we’re taunting the fish, are we?”
For whatever reason, the goldfish and its habitat were planted on the bar of this art gallery/bar. It wasn’t a part of the exhibition; it was just the pet of the gallery. Or more...

My Haunted Blender’s Gay Love Affair, and Other Twisted Tales!
Also, my novella in it, City of Monsters, is available separately, if you insist. It has a haunted blender in it. And a vampire with crystal legs.

So Sunday I did a reading at The Vermilion Art Gallery & Bar, along with Layla Hunter, and I took several pictures before things got going. It’s mostly reference material, as I plan to write a story set here with Roan and Dylan, but before that, I thought I’d just share some photos with people who may have wanted to come but couldn’t make it.
Thanks to Layla, for the notes, thanks to Tracy for the help, thanks to Old Growth Northwest for putting on the shindig, and thanks to the Vermilion for having us! (Also, thanks Joe!)

So,there’s another challenge, this time involving a random title. I got Shotgun Bastards, and not only did this make me very happy, I want to write a whole bunch of stories with “Bastards” at the end. A bit violent, if you didn’t guess.
**
Shotgun Bastards
The first shot cut Morris in half, his upper half flying backwards, while his lower half just fell over, like crutches kicked from a lame boy’s hands.
Scarlet swung the shotgun around and levelled it at Tony, who was just pulling out his .45. She shot him in the neck, and the spray of lead all but decapitated him, his head exploding like an overripe melon, his neck reduced to sinewy shreds. He was long dead before the rest of his body slumped to the floor.
Scarlet knew these...

Since Infected: Epitaph has been pushed back a couple months to accommodate the new publisher, I’ve decided to put out some shorts as an apology to fans. There should be a free downloadable short coming soon, but until then, I’ll be posting short ones on the website. Consider them “cut scenes”, lost moments between mysteries. The first is all about Roan and Paris … and Randi?
**
“How did you blackmail me into this again?” Roan asked.
Paris gave him his most charming grin, which was powerful enough to persuade a dead man to come back to life. “Blackmail is such an ugly word,” Paris replied, putting his arms around him and resting his chin on Roan’s shoulder, so he could look at Roan in the mirror. “I encouraged you to go...

Another writing challenge, and this is my odd response. There were too many good photos to just pick one, so I picked a few. Hope you enjoy my brief dip into sketch comedy.
**
25 Minutes Into the Future
*computer boots up, ad starts to play*
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Better late than never, here’s my #iamcomics.
I’ve been reading comics since I was a kid. I’m even the Editor In Chief of CX Pulp, a comics website where all are welcome, and bullying and abuse are not tolerated. Why? Because it’s the 21st century. If comics aren’t for everyone, then they’re for no one. Feel free to drop by and say hi sometime.
But if you’re an asshole? Feel free to walk on by.

Chuck Wendig had another flash fic challenge, and this is my addition to it. A little story about a werewolf, and a surprising weakness.
**
Big, Bad
Fear smelled like honeyed wine. Carlo followed its bright, intoxicating trail through the dark woods, running so fast it felt like his paws barely touched the ground. Up ahead he could hear the helpless cries of his prey, hopelessly trying to escape.
Up ahead, he saw a squat square building that reeked of rotten, moldering wood. Did they think that was enough to save them? He charged towards the flimsy door, and flung himself at it with all his strength …
… and rebounded off of it as he heard a sickening crack, and felt a lightning bolt of pain strike deep inside his skull. He landed on all fours and shook his...

It was a lot of fun, and if you were there, thanks for joining me, and checking out my page. I took a few photos, but mainly of the room as we were setting up. I didn’t want to infringe on anyone’s privacy, so I didn’t take a pic of the people there. But know you were appreciated. And good luck with your writing endeavors!
Thank you Laura and everyone at the Parkland/Spanaway Library! Remember to support your local library today!

I am doing Camp NaNoWriMo this year, basically creating a longer story spun off from the Love’s Landscapes story I’ve done this year for the Goodreads M/M group. Does that make sense? I hope so. You can read a little bit of it and follow my general progress here.

This time, as requested, with Paris in it. But it’s short …
**
“I’m about done with that Bruen book you brought me,” Paris said, around a mouthful of breakfast croissant. Paris still ate like a feral cat, like he was afraid someone was going to rip it away at any second, and Roan didn’t begrudge him that at all. There had been times in his life when he was that hungry. “When I started reading it, I wondered how anyone could write a book with so few words, y’know. I mean, he hardly describes much of anything, does he? But then at some point I got sucked in. He can say a lot with a little.”
Roan smiled. That’s what he always thought about Bruen. “A good way to put it. He has a lot of the terse machismo of Hemingway without a lot of the...

Roan is really good at being an asshole. (Posted unedited, without total context.)
**
Roan dropped his phone back in his pocket, but didn’t say anything until he joined George in his office and closed the door. “Why the act? You know exactly who I am.”
He scoffed as he retreated behind his desk. It looked like a big box warehouse special, a cheap metal desk with a couple of nicks and dents in it. There were some papers piled on one side, a computer monitor and keyboard, a phone, nothing else. The walls were surprisingly bare, with his just his framed detective license on it. “Sorry guy, I don’t know every private detective in town.”
Roan sighed, doing his best to rein in his temper. But the urge to growl was almost overwhelming. “If...

I am writing many things! A lot of it hasn’t showed up yet, but hang in there, it will. I promise. (I also hope to get a flash fic up before the end of the week. And maybe another Infected: Paris snippet?)
The M/M readers group on Goodreads is having another story prompt event, and while I thought I wouldn’t do this year, I ended up grabbing one. This is the prompt I grabbed, and the picture that went with it.
Dear Author,
I know that everyone believes that I’m the monster, and that He keeps me in a leash. I don’t mind, it’s funny how everyone is deceived by our act and while they look at me with fear and loathing, His secret is safe. No one is going to know that behind his innocent look and smile there is soulless and sadistic man. I love...

Latest flash fiction challenge involved pulling up a random song title and writing a story with that title. I shuffled my iPod and used the first song that came up. It was this one. A story of post-apocalyptic revenge.
**
Kill It In The Morning
It was almost impossible to tell which was worse: the noise or the smell.
In reality, it was a false choice, because long enough exposure kind of deadened you to both, But Amira found them both excruciating. The smell seemed to get everywhere, it just parked in your nose and refused to go away, and there was no air freshener in the world strong enough to cover it. Not even the scent of freshly made coffee.
Right now the noise was mainly coming from the basement, as Edgar pounded on the door, occasionally yelling. She...

Merged, my sci-fi pulp story about pilots in mech suits battling alien dinosaurs. Yep.
**
After barely surviving a surprise attack by long-time enemy the Lharaz, mech pilot Takeshi is tasked with a new mission: Protect the people of Ia, and capture a live specimen of the local fauna that has been turned against them by the Lharaz, who are using Ia as a testing ground for suspected new weaponry.
The mission would be a lot easier if Ia’s local fauna wasn’t...

Tomorrow, join me & Indra Vaughn as we take over Dreamspinner’s Twitter feed, @dreamspinners, at 6pm Pacific/9pm Eastern. You can ask us any question you want, there will be a secret discount code, and I will more than likely make a fool of myself, so come join the fun.

New flash fic challenge, this one concerning the invention of a drink. So here’s my drink, and the story to go with it.
**
Crème de Nepenthe
1 jigger of water from the river Lethe
2 Niobe’s tears
One shot of milk from a golden cow
One hair of the Minotaur
2 drops of Proteus’s blood
Splash of absinthe
Pinch of regret
**
It had taken Martin what felt like seven years to find the place. And the terrible thing was it could have actually taken seven years. It wouldn’t be Purgatory if the time wasn’t all kinds of fucked up.
How he’d ended up here was a mystery to him. He was from a good Christian family! Okay, so maybe he could be kind of a jackass, that didn’t mean he should end up here, a place that was neither heaven nor hell. But clearly very...

In LRC’s Best of 2013 awards, paranormal/urban fantasy! I will happily take that. Thanks all of you who voted for the book. It’s one of my favorites. (Although I say that about every Infected book. But I swear they are at the time I finish them.)

Yep, another challenge, this time a “fairy tales remix”. So here’s the fairy tale of the wolf and the fox, told after the zombie apocalypse.
**
Wolf & Fox
“This better pay off, squirt,” Wolf said, yanking his leash hard. “It ain’t ending well for you if you keep leading me to empty houses.”
Fox tugged at the leather dog collar Wolf made him wear. He could have just cuffed him or something, but oh no, he wanted this extra bit of humiliation. Wolf was a total fuckhead.
Wolf didn’t need any of this. Not only would three of Fox make one of Wolf, but he was about two hundred pounds of solid muscle. Before Z-Day, he was probably some gym bunny ‘roidhead, who still managed somehow to keep from turning to complete jelly when his...

There’s a new flash fiction challenge, and here’s the result. I hope the title makes sense at the end.
**
Bottom Fishing
If you had asked Ben before it happened, he would have said living in a trailer park was the lowest thing possible. But dying in a trailer park? Holy shit, who knew there was a false bottom on the bottom of the barrel?
Worse still, he seemed stuck here. Crammed in the Sunny Acres Trailer Park as some kind of half-assed ghost, wedged between worlds like an empty beer can jammed in a door. What had he done to deserve this?
Actually, come to think of it, he deserved worse, as hard as it was to imagine anything worse than this. Sure, he’d been a cop, and he put some bad guys away, but … he was kind of a bad guy himself. He...

Somehow, most of these songs turned out to be the “personal” songs of some characters. So soundtrack edition it is.
These Arms Are Snakes – Horse Girl
Okay, while this song isn’t technically anyone’s theme song, its story of drug addiction could apply to Roan. Also, a bit of this song floated through Roan’s head in a pivotal scene in a book. Because Roan’s mind deals with extreme pain by throwing music at him. It’s a valiant but vain attempt to distract from the overwhelming agony of a partial change. (See, there’s a reason he’s a drug addict.)
Elliott Smith – Some Song
Here we go with the soundtracks. This is tied with Sun Kil Moon’s somber cover of Dramamine as Dylan’s theme song. I think a lot of...

I got some nominations in the LRC’s Best of the Year awards. Notably best paranormal/urban fantasy and best author.
I probably don’t deserve either, but if you want to throw any votes my way, I’d appreciate it. (There are many great authors up for many things. Feel free to vote your...

Why not have a New Year’s Eve shuffle? I have no idea what that has to do with anything, but it seemed like a good idea at the time.
Baroness – Take My Bones Away
A bit of sludgy hard rock to kick things off. Why not?
Dave Porter – You’re All They Talk About
From the Breaking Bad soundtrack, here’s a representative tune. Quiet, somewhat ambient, somewhat eerie, I’m afraid this show was so good it kind of overwhelmed the stellar work done by Porter on the soundtrack. Even if you didn’t watch the show, you should give the soundtrack a listen, as it’s a masterpiece of minimalistic mood.
Buke and Gase – Hard Times
I bought this “single” online for charity, but it turned out I rather liked this little piece of slightly emo art rock....

Keep in mind, I’m a terribly cynical person. Happy holidays.
**
The sound of the bells was the only warning we had.
“Get down,” Momma whispered, tightening her grip on her shotgun. She peered over the back of the couch.
The chimney was shut, and we piled up stuff in it so it would be impossible to open. Well, impossible for a normal person. Momma didn’t think it would be good enough.
We heard dull thuds against the flue, and a weird growl, kinda like what I imagined a dragon would sound like, if they were real. Dust flew, and the pile collapsed.
There was a boom, and the chimney exploded near the bottom, sending fragments of bricks and junk flying all over the room.
“Ho ho ho!” The Santa Claus monster roared. He was big and red, eyes and hair as...

Roan is up for sexiest shifter! It would annoy the shit out of him to actually win, so I hope we can make i t happen. His bitching will be awesome.
Also, the M/M Goodreads Awards are in the voting phase, and I’m up for a couple. The great thing? You don’t need to be a member to vote!

No spookiness here, unless you count wild swings of mood and genre. Then I suppose it kind of is.
The Presets – Get The Fuck Out Of Here
Dance music that isn’t quite danceable, this song is a strange one, and yet I like it a lot. I may like it just because it isn’t a radio friendly unit shifter, and I can really identify with the song’s main sentiment. I also think it’s a strong runner up for Holden’s theme song.
We Are Scientists – Chick Lit
Now we swing into alt power pop that sounds cheerful, but is all about a bitter break up. The dichotomy between the tone of the music and the words could give you whiplash.
Porcupine Tree – Strip The Soul
Well, at least the music and words match. A gloomy, creepy song by a band that isn’t Tool. Perfect for...

Just to prove I am indeed working on it. Keep in mind, this is unedited, so there may be errors. You’ll have to forgive me for them.
**
Roan was aware of a minor headache just starting to bloom when there was a knock at his door. He wasn’t expecting anyone, but he never expected anyone. He wasn’t much for entertaining.
Roan opened the door, hoping for the UPS guy (he wasn’t Paris hot, but he was pretty easy on the eyes as long as you didn’t look down at his knobby knees), but it was Dee, dressed down in civilian clothes for once, in jeans and a red plaid shirt. “I thought grunge was dead,” Roan said.
Dee frowned at him. “You’d know more about that than me. C’mon, get your coat, we’re going out.”
“You remember we broke up,...

Here’s the details. And here are the bits. First bit, by Meagan Wilson and the second half by napmonkey. Pasted below.
**
(Meagan Wilson)
“Yes, this penthouse view is quite breathtaking,” I turned to the luscious blonde before me, “but not nearly as lovely as—”
A thunder clap, and then I was standing in a small, glowing circle, surrounded by a gaggle of chanting fools in robes.
”Oh great Sorasel im Palat, lord of fire and darkness, fell devourer of the innocent, conqueror of—” Arcane symbols covered the speaker’s robes, nearly obscuring the heavy crimson fabric.
“Yes, yes, get on with it.” I gestured with my gin martini.
He paused, then finished in a post-pubescent squeak, “We invoke thy true name and bid thee do our will.”
“Oh...

Not only does noise once again rule the week, but the majority of these songs have appeared on self made soundtracks for my Infected books.Funny how that works.
These Arms Are Snakes – Meet Your Mayor
Unreleased track (in MP3 form), hard to find. I can imagine Roan working the heavy bag to this.
Black Eyes & Neckties – Bloodbath
The title of one of the Infected chapters! (Yes, I named it after this song.) From a defunct (of course) Washington State Goth-punk band. It’s easy to imagine the snuff house takedown taking place to this.
Alkaline Trio – Private Eye
Tailor made for Roan, this tale of a (metaphorical) hard boiled detective short circuited by his addiction problems and bad decisions could have been written...

This fiction challenge continues , and here’s my continuation of Liz Neering’s start, titled Devil’s Night. (First half pasted on. My part continues after the stars.)
Devil’s Night
Isa stood in the deer blind, the tip of her rifle pointed through the narrow slat out towards the forest beyond. To her teammate she looked like a stranger, a bundle of cold-weather clothing with only a thin strip of brown skin showing between scarf and snow goggles. The brown strip turned to face him, black eyes a shadow behind polarized plastic.
“I fucking hate these sneaking missions,” she said. “I just want to shoot something. I don’t think that’s a lot to ask.”
Tyler snorted. Behind the heavy fur lining of his coat, he...

Nope, not a typo. Happy Thanksgiving, American readers.
**
“Tell me again why we’re doing this,” Roan asked, as he set up the dining room table. They’d just bought it at a thrift store yesterday, and Roan had to shift the couches, chairs, and end table in the living room to make room for it.
Dylan sighed at him before turning away to pull the lasagna out of the oven. “Because you’ve never had a proper Thanksgiving, and I wanted to give you one.”
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I’ve had a couple of “proper” Thanksgivings, and that’s why I hate it so much.” Roan shook out the green tablecloth Dylan had dug up somewhere, because even though he thought it was silly, he knew he had to play along, or there would be hell to pay.
“See,...

Yes, I intend to keep doing this. While last week’s was dominated by noise rock, electronic music is the victor this week.
1. Sleepy Eyes Of Death – Night Wires
The first of two defunct Seattle bands on this list alone. Both were favorites, and both couldn’t have been more different. SEOD liked semi-orchestral, lush electronic soundscapes, as you can hear for yourself.
2. These Arms Are Snakes – The Blue Rose
And the second defunct Seattle band, a noise rock group that is the only noise rock represented on this list. They had the best live shows I’ve ever seen, even when playing in the attic of a junk shop. (This happened. I was there.)
3. A Grave With No Name – Dig Me Out
Now back to sort of shoegaze/alternative, although...

Okay, new flash fic challenge, involving writing the start of a story alone, clocking in at 200 words. Here’s mine.
**
The explosion made theground rock like a ship on a storm tossed sea. Kira covered her head as flaming debris rained down.“Well, that could have gone better.”
“Was there an outcome where this wasn’t a certainty?” Dana replied.
Kira thought a thousand different curse words at the AI companion implanted in her brain. Not that Dana would care either way, as it may have been an artificial intelligence, but it’s emotional understanding was limited.
Kira jumped up to her feet and looked around, surveying the damage. Futureshock’s cybertech lab was now a hole in the ground, covered with a smattering of smoldering rubble....

Stolen from Shira Anthony, who stole it from Eric Arvin, here’s my first five songs that came up on random shuffle on my iPod. Just in case you needed any more convincing I’m one weird mama-jamma.
1. Police Teeth – Christian Rudolph, A Man of Science
How can you not love a song that opens extolling you to wipe the fake blood off your face?
2. Gil Scott-Heron – The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
Holy crap, you couldn’t think of a more diametrically opposed song. This is a great rabble rousing ’70’s poem put to music.
3. Gaytheist – Taking Back Sunday From Taking Back Sunday
And yet more musical whiplashing, as this is a hard charging but short instrumental from these punk noisemakers.
4. A Place To Bury Strangers –...

William Stafford tagged me for this one. Four simple questions about my writing.
**
1) What are you working on right now?
Many things, including a short story about a comic con, a sci-fi comedy for Nanowrimo called I Left My Heart On Omicron Ceti Three, and a prequel to my Infected series called Infected: Paris. I seem unable to work on one thing at a time.
2) How does it differ from other work in its genre?
Hmm. Well, The Infected series is a bit different than most “shifter” stories, because the cat virus is in no way a good thing. In fact, it’s an early death sentence for everyone, but Roan, the main character, has a curious relationship with his virus, that just gets curiouser as the series goes on. Save for...

New flash fic challenge, and I sprung off of Rebecca Douglass’s opening line. Because how could I not? (Please note – no relation to the French horror film or the Billy Idol song.)
Eyes Without A Face
“Harold! Harold! Hurry, the eyes are back and they’re in the pantry!”
Harold groaned as he levered himself out of his cozy armchair, and walked towards the closet to retrieve his golf club.
He and Randy had gotten a great deal on the house. It was good sized, with a big garden for Randy to work in, and a nice distance from the nearest neighbors. Not that he expected any harassment, but you never knew. After all, Randy found “qweer” (sic) spray painted on the door of his last apartment, and he lived in downtown Chicago. But – and...

Be warned, it’s unedited. So sorry if there are typos I missed.
**
Iwan couldn’t decide if his luck had turned for the better, or if it had remained at its typical worst.
Iwan had worked in the Galactic Force’s front office for six years. He’d joined the GF in the hopes of being one of those swoopy, sex magnetic space pilots who traveled the universe and scored with every attractive being from here to the Crab Nebula. There was one teeny tiny problem: Iwan was terrified of flying. Both in atmosphere and outside it, even as a passenger. The only way he got on the ship that took him from Earth to the GF training facility in orbit was some pills given to him by the Docbot. Now, some of those space jocks took pills, but not ones...

Yep, another one. And a brief tale of science fiction/horror.
**
The Secret Rebellion
Serai waited while Commander Garrand and his thugs forced open the airlock of her ship, the Shadowstar. It was no match for a Confederacy battle cruiser and they all knew it, so she had no choice but to surrender.
Gerrand took his time boarding the ship, because he was a raging asshole. She scanned her readouts to find out what size boarding party he had and counting him, there were seven. That seemed excessive considering it was just her and her service bot aboard. Well, that they knew of.
Boots clunked heavily on the deck plating as Gerrand and his blue uniformed hit squad marched to her cockpit. “I see working for the so called “rebellion” hasn’t made you any...

New Chuck Wendig challenge. New weird story. Although, I kind of want to see where this one goes from here ….
Labyrinthine Sailor
The bar was as inexplicable inside as it had been on the outside.
The tables and chairs seemed to grow up from a floor of living wood, which on first blush was impossible. There was a tree and there was wood, but you couldn’t have it processed and unprocessed at the same time. Except here, where the floor looked smoothed and planed, and yet a fingernail scratch brought sap to the surface, and the bartenders had to trim back rogue branches between rounds.
The wood even felt somewhat lukewarm, bringing to mind body heat, which was why Mallory was reluctant to sit down. If it was still alive, could it feel? It was a creepy thought....

This is an apology to all those reading it online. I haven’t posted a chapter in a while. It’s not because I’m not writing them, but because I have hit an odd problem. There was part of the plot I was saving, because it’s very spoilery for the end of this particular series of Infected. I tried my best to write around it – including removing a chapter before posting it – but I’ve hit an impasse. Either I spoil it all now, or I hold back until publication. I hate to cheat you, my dedicated online readers, but I think I may be done updating Infected: Revolution for the time being. To make that up to you, I will post exclusive short stories within the Infected universe. A “lost case” as it were. Thank you for readin

I’m sure it’s a huge shocker that I am a clinical depressive. I mean, who isn’t right? Except … no. Depression gets widely dismissed as not a big deal, or something that everyone deals with, but that’s not quite true. There are degrees of depression, just as there are degrees of any mental illness. And what seems like passing blues for you may be a dreadful, unending nightmare for someone else.
I think I have it easy. My depression is generally manageable, and to that end I think writing has saved my life. It’s therapy in a very real sense for me. But I would be lying if I didn’t admit to having suicidal thoughts now and again, as recently as a couple of weeks ago. Depression seems to be this dark passenger that, even when you’re fairly certain...

I know what despair tastes like, apparently. Also, don’t play the drinking game, as you’ll be so hammered twenty minutes in you’ll pass out before you finish the interview. http://www.blogtalkradio.com/writersonlinenetwork/2013/08/30/write-on-the-edge-w-guest-andrea-speed

Which should be 8PM Pacific, 11pm Eastern, 10 Central. (Overseas, I’m afraid you’ll have to Google for it, as this is the edge of my time zone understanding.) So if you ever wanted to hear my annoying voice again, now’s your chance!
And to answer a question that was brought up – but won’t be included in the segment:
What is your favorite theme or element in writing?
I have to admit, I really didn’t think I had one, beyond the obvious. (The mundane and the fantastic smashing together.) But the more I think about it, I suppose there is a running theme of oddballs, misfits even within the strange worlds they inhabit. Roan – and just about all of his friends – are quite obvious in their outsider status, but look at Josh,...

I don’t cook a lot – hardly ever, really – but I thought, in advance of my birthday, I’d make myself a cake. But honestly, I didn’t want cake. I wanted an ice cream sundae pie. Those don’t exist? Well, maybe they do, but not around here, so I made my own. They’re simple to make, and you can vary the recipe by what you like. But here’s the basics.
Step one – Crust. With a little melted butter and many crumbs, you can make your own. You can crush cookies – chocolate, chocolate chip, vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, graham crackers – whatever you like, and make your own. Or, you can skip it and go to the straightforward pre-made, store bought crust. Your choice. Just make sure it’s a kind you like....

Another flash fic challenge, another short. This one is a bit of a downer, I freely admit that.
**
A Suicide of Glass
When the rains first came, no one could quite believe it.
The clouds got a lot of attention, as they were a rich, brilliant blue, more intense than the sky, and there was a lot of speculation as to what they could have meant. If they were pollution, part of a study on the drought, cloud seeding, stuff of that nature. The truly crazy settled on aliens or some kind of government experiment, but you couldn’t go down those rabbit holes for long. The crazy seemed contagious, like a virus made of a corrupt idea, damaged DNA just replicating itself over and over again.
There wasn’t time to do a proper study, not before it started to rain. From inside,...

I get asked this quite a bit, and so I regularly feel I should put out the list for new readers.
Infected series:
Book 1: Infected: Prey
Book 2: Infected: Bloodlines
Book 3: Infected: Life After Death
Book 4: Infected: Freefall
Book 5: Infected: Shift
Book 6: Infected: Lesser Evils
Book 7: Infected: Undertow
Josh of the Damned series:
Story 1: Pretty Monsters
Story 2: Peek-A-Boo
Story 3: Josh of the Damned Triple Feature #1
Story 4: Night of the Dust Bunnies
Story 5: Josh of the Damned Triple Feature #2: The Final Checkout

They are an annual award given to the best in queer (LGBTQ) literature all across the board. Awarded by who? This is the best part: your peers. Yes, fellow authors read your work, and judge you on it. Which is scary, yes, but it’s really rewarding too. I should know, since Infected: Freefall won one last year. (Yaay!) This year, I decided to take part, and I am on the jury. Not only is it a fun thing, but it’s a cool thing. Please read more about it at this site. There’s still time to submit a book too! But just barely, so get a move...

Yep, another fic challenge fic challenge. Here’s the result.
**
Noise
The fourth blow of the sledgehammer put a hole in the wall big enough to shove a pony through. After that, tearing down the rest of the wall was a piece of cake.
Zach stopped for a beer, and to wipe off the sweat and drywall dust. Taking down a house always seemed slower than it should have been. Really he should have just hopped in his truck and floored it. He’d have brought the house down in much less time, and with minimal effort on his part. Of course, there was a chance he’d destroy his truck in the process, but he was insured, and he could always claim it was an accident. But insurance agents were notorious pains in the asses, and he’d...

Madison Parker – a fine author in her own right – made this as a cover for Animal Magnetism, a Love Has No Boundaries short I wrote with Willow Scarlett (another fine author). Here it is!
And if you haven’t checked the story out, it’s still available as a free download!

Yep, another challenge, another flash fix. Enjoy!
**
Mr. Fix-It
“Hull breach in sector 8-A,” the computer reported in its calm voice, as tremors shook the space station like a rattle. Elon scrambled onto his feet, and was helped by Slo-Mo, the station robot. Slo-Mo – called Slom by Elon, since Slo-Mo was not only an incorrect designation, but also a little bit racist – was a Mark IX design, meaning he looked almost human, but not quite. Hair couldn’t be replicated in a useful way, so rather than deal with that, the top of his head was covered with a chromed tritanium plate that looked like the sleekest of safety helmets, and it could in fact take a metric ton of impact with no appreciable damage. Although hidden beneath a...

I decided to do another one. Here it is.
**
Haunted
There was something like a muffled scream as the man opened the door. He turned to look at her and smiled. “See? Haunted, like I told you. This house eats the unwary.”
Elana smiled weakly, wondering if he was trying to scare her. It was such a lame thing it was hard to imagine, but maybe that worked for him. “I doubt a house can eat anything, Mister … what did you say your name was again?”
He held the door open for her, continuing to smile that creepy smile that never reached his eyes. “Smith. John Smith.”
“Okay.” If that was his actual name, then her name was Amanda Huggenkiss, but she wasn’t about to point that out. No, she was here for a tour of the house with the creepy old man....

Yep, another Chuck Wendig fash fic challenge, another quick fic. This one involves global warming and the supernatural. Enjoy!
**
I waited for the acid rain to stop before I ventured out of the armored ground transport, and only then did I start carving the symbols into the earth. The worst part was using my own blood to make them, but hey, the stuff in the corpse wouldn’t work. I knew that from hard experience.
Once I was done, I popped the vehicle’s trunk, and lugged out the corpse, which I dropped on the ground and dragged to the center of the circle. At least it was a thin dude, body ravaged by UV radiation caused growths, as unattractive as a fresh corpse can get, but light.
I painted the summoning symbol on his forehead in my blood, and only then...

You wouldn’t think, of all shows currently on the air, the one with the most gay characters would be a cartoon, and yet, here we are. When it began, The Venture Brothers was a pretty straight ahead (no pun intended) parody of old Johnny Quest cartoons and similar action oriented kiddie cartoons, with a decidedly adult slant. But the world and character building began to get more complex by the end of the first season, and by the second season, it was well on its way to becoming its own thing. Part of being its own thing meant introducing characters who weren’t just straight, and were a bit less than rigidly binary.
When Brock Samson, the impossibly lethal bodyguard, found out his old mentor, Hunter Gathers, had a sex change operation,...

First up, Dreamspinner’s Make A Play anthology is out today! You could buy the whole package, or just my story separately. Thunderballs – Luke Diaz signs up for an adult dodgeball league out of morbid curiosity and a love for a crazy movie. After all, sports aren’t his thing. Then attraction to the team captain, Shane Kinrade, keeps him from ducking out of tryouts, and Luke discovers he’s actually rather good at hitting where he aims. Along with his newfound ability, Luke considers the charming team captain to be right up his alley and luckily, Shane shares his interest.
Also, my Love Has No Boundaries story, Cartoon Logic, is now available as a download in multiple formats. So read...

As part of Dreamspinner’s six year anniversary, I have a free flash fic up, with Roan and Dylan.
And the winner of the blog hop is Trix! I have emailed her. Congratultions, and thanks everyone for reading!

Today is the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia. You should really visit here for more information. This is a struggle that’s far from over
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Hi there. With gay marriage being made legal all over the place, it might seem pointless to bring up homophobia for discussion, but far from it. I wish that were true.
While gay marriage opponents have found their counterargument wildly lacking (essentially, it boiled down to “it’s icky”, which isn’t the super persuasive argument they thought it would be.), this is a visible sign of change and it’s welcome. But all is not rosy. Did you know, in many states, you can be fired or denied an apartment simply because you’re gay? You wouldn’t think blatant, stupid, and petty discrimination like...

Yep, Chuck Wendig’s challenging people again …
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I lit a cigarette beside the smoldering pile of wreckage that used to be Los Angeles, and wondered if this qualified as irony, or just a variation on a theme. It wasn’t like I could actually breathe in more smoke, even if I was smoking the largest cigarette in the known universe.
I stared at it, the huge crater that used to be one of the largest cities in America, and tried to wrap my head around the idea of it. How could a city so large just be erased, like a dirty word on a chalkboard? The Monitors blamed terrorists, but if being a detective had taught me anything, it was you never believe the official story. And there was no way in hell terrorists could’ve gotten a hold of something with so much...

From May 13th-19th get 30% off all authors who signed with them in the 4th year. Check out all the authors involved and get your favorite E and print books at 30% this week only. (Yes, this includes me.)
Book sale!

If you’re subscribed to my newsletter, then you know this, but I’m very proud of my story in this anthology, Tempest For A Tea Cup. It’s frothier and lighter than most of my stories, and stars two fisted, hard drinking private dick Jake Falconer, and his on-again, off-again (but now on) boyfriend, Officer Kyle Gomez, supposedly the soberest and most uncorrupted cop in all of Echo City. If you read my novella The Little Death, you’ll recognize them, but you don’t need to have done so to get this story. It’s not a sequel, just a parallel story.
And to tease it a little more, I’ll give you a little sample of the story:
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As a private detective, I was used to pretty trouble stumbling through my door. But adorable trouble?...

Yep, another Wendig challenge, and too good to resist, as it’s tied to the amazing They Fight Crime! site. Here’s what the site came up with for me.
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Time To Kill
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Caitlin wrinkled her nose in disgust. There was no fucking way Tony expected her to work on a fucking eight year old Kia. Fucking piece of shit car. She wanted to take it out behind the garage and shoot it point blank in the radiator.
“I’m taking my break,” she said, wiping her hands on a greasy rag and throwing it at the turd colored Kia She didn’t care if Tony heard her or not, she went right into the back, and grabbed her coat before retreating to the bathroom. Only there did she pull out her phone and check on her traps.
The Headhunter...

There’s little excuse for that pun, except it perfectly describes this silly entry in Chuck Wendig’s latest flash fiction challenge. Very short, very silly.
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The Empire Strikes Bus
It had been a relatively quiet day on bus 535 when Destruxtor The Galactic Emperor suddenly teleported into the aisle.
He laughed triumphantly, helmeted head cast up towards the ceiling, a blinking blue locket held tightly in his gauntlet clad hands. “It works! It is the Dafraxian Nexus!” He laughed again, earning dirty looks from many of the passengers around him.
“Tone it down, will ya buddy?” A weary man in a worn denim jacket snapped.
“Did you pay the fare?” the bus driver asked, staring at the man in his...

Tomorrow the 20th, from 7 to 9 PM Eastern time, I’ll be on Love Romances Cafe, talking writing, Infected, and all sorts of other things. I’ll probably be giving stuff away too, so drop on by. Love Romances Cafe

So of course I created a new one. It’s a theme one too. Each character is asked for what Roan’s theme song should be. Here are there answers. (In order 1. Holden 2. Scott 3.Fiona 4. Grey 5.Dropkick 6.Tank 7. Paris 8. Dylan 9. Roan)
Roan’s Theme Songs? from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.

Food, Drink, Holidays, & Culture
Having a unique cross-section of beings in Dev, you will find all sorts of food and drink, perhaps more diverse than even your world, whatever that may be. From flesh for zombies and yetis, blood for vampires, vegetables and vegetation for our lizard friends, and all sorts of refuse for our werewolf brothers. Eating your fellow citizens is punished by banishment to the yeti zones, unless you’re a yeti, and then you have to face the Cursers.
There are not many holidays, but there is the three day Bacchus festival, held in what humans would call spring. During these days, there is a celebration involving much food and drink, as well as the occasional orgy. (But it’s all very tastefully done.) While a feast...

Religion & Magic
Since Dev was established and is still currently overseen by a god, Medusa, it’s almost funny how little merit religion is given in this world. We have a god, we know she exists, and we know, if we sufficiently anger her, there will be grave consequences. (Those rumors of a previous city have also claimed the cataclysm that wiped it out was simply Medusa’s way of cleaning the slate and starting over with a more peaceful society, but, as before, there is no proof of this.)
Medusa requires nothing from her people, save for a few rules that are the bedrock of our peaceful world. There are statues to her, but small, as she herself finds them gaudy. She requires no worship, and anyone who speaks in her name finds themselves regretting it...

The World Building Blog Hop continues ….
History & Politics
While home to a diverse group of beings, Dev’s history is remarkably peaceful. Founded by a god looking to create a containment area for her mentally imbalanced sisters, it soon became a haven for other creatures looking for a place to stay. There are rumors that there was a city before Nightshade, full of warring creatures, wiped out completely in a massive cataclysm, but there’s no legitimate proof of this. Ruins have been uncovered, but their meaning is unclear.
The political system of Dev is an unusual one. Since the city of Nightshade is divided between clusters of competing groups (werewolf gangs such as the Dogpack and its rival, the Dogpound; the Vampire’s...

Welcome to the Worldbuilding Blogfest! Links for more wonderful worldbuilding can be found here: World Building Ahoy.
Ever wonder about the world on the other side of the hell portal in the Josh of the Damned universe? Here’s the beginning of a comprehensive look at a place you’d never want to visit.
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Welcome to Dev. We hope you enjoy a stay in our world, although please be sure you made out a will and have your affairs in order if you’re a human being. It is not advised you come here without a chaperon, unless you’re suicidal.
Geography & Climate
The climate is much like you’d find on Earth. A mix of sunny days and rain, with the occasional rain of toads, which usually only occurs in what humans would call the fall. The weather is...

Woohoo! I should crib for the Colbert Report and have a regular “who’s honoring me/who’s ignoring me” section. Anyhow, I’m up for some awards in the Best Paranormal/Fantasy Book, Best Series, and Best GBLT Author categories! The book that got the nod was the Josh of the Damned Triple Feature. As such, I thought I’d give you a tease for the book.
What most people call a hellish shift, Josh Caplan calls a normal evening. After all, he works nights at a convenience store beside the mouth of hell, selling snacks to zombies and lizard men. And in this bit, Josh and his vampire boyfriend Colin are on the roof, and Colin lets Josh know something about himself that he never knew. While danger gets oddly closer …
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Colin...

I listen to enough music (don’t we all?) and subject my readers to it that I feltl like I should list my albums of the year. Especially since I always post these soundtracks. Because ranking them would cause me great agony, I’m not going to put them in numerical order. I just liked these, and I will give you a brief thumbnail sketch of why. Feel free to listen along. (Yes, I made a soundtrack. I always make soundtracks.
Andy’s Best Albums of 2012 from notmanos on 8tracks Radio.
Metz – Metz: This was a pretty good year for noise rock, as this album succinctly and noisily proves. Somewhat melodic, but mostly just noisy, and given out in short, sharp bursts.
Aesop Rock – Skelethon: I think stream of consciousness, slightly abstract rap may be my...

This is for Love Is Always Write, Volume 9, which I have a short story in, but there are more volumes available, all free, so please check them out as well. Lots of good authors involved. Love Is Always Write

What is the working title of your book?
Strange Angels
Where did the idea come from for the book?
I like the idea of gods as essentially fatally overpowered teenagers. Moody, capricious, just concerned with their own petty squabbles and nothing else … kind of like regular people. And what happens if your absentee dad is one of these gods, and oh yeah, he’s dead and passed on his powers to you, and some other gods, who you didn’t even know existed, wanted to kill you? It’s well trod territory, but I hope I’m livening it up with my usual weirdness and humor.
What genre does your book fall under?
Fantasy. Honestly, this is probably one of the clearest genre pieces I’ve ever done. Usually I just make a hash of things.
Which actors would...

…. but, let’s face it, me and dignity don’t have a l ot of experience with each other. Infected: Freefall just won the Rainbow Book Award of 2012 (well, co-won) for best horror/paranormal novel, and Infected: Shift got an honorable mention in the sci-fi/fantasy category. Yeah! Woohoo! Thank you readers!
If you’d like to see all the winners, go here: Paranormal/Horror and Sci-fi/Fantasy....

Last year, I suggested a Turkey Day MST3K marathon for you, and while I’m going to do the same thing again this year, I decided to do it by picking out one episode per season, while also limiting myself by being unable to suggest any titles I used last year. Yes, it’s an odd way to do it, but since the internet has all the episodes that the DVD collections don’t (not that I’m saying there’s an MST3K club where you can watch every episode ever made … although there is … ), I thought this might be a fun way to showcase everything MST3K has to offer, as well as force me to make some very tough decisions. Just promise me you’ll watch the ones on DVD/streaming if they’re available.
Season 1 – Kind of a rough...

Just in time for Halloween, help yourself to a free Josh of the Damned short, Night of the Dust Bunnies. Night of the Dust Bunnies.
Also, I do an interview on Lou Sylvre’s blog. Check it out. Lou’s blog.

1- Gimme Shelter
Roan knew he should never have taken Nadia Rubin’s case the moment he took it.
She couldn’t afford him, she’d know he was taking pity on her and would probably resent it, and it wasn’t his usual thing anyways. She was asking him to be a bodyguard as much as a detective, and that really wasn’t his thing.
Still, how did you turn down a fellow infected? Especially when they were being threatened by another infected. It almost felt like a duty.
What she was, was a waitress who wasn’t wearing enough makeup to cover all the broken blood vessels beneath her eyes, indications of past beatings. She was a cougar strain, in the midst of a divorce from her abusive husband, Mike Oliver, who’d been threatening her. The problem was, the threats...

Next Saturday, from noon Eastern time (3 Pacific) I will be having a chat on Dreamspinner’s FB page! Ask me anything about the Infected series, or anything, and maybe win some stuff.
Dreamspinner’s Facebook Page

Follow me or Dreamspinner Press on Twitter (or get a friend to) as I’m giving away a free book tomorrow, but for a very limited time! (Around five Pacific, 8 Eastern). A good chance to get introduced to my writing for free …@aspeed@dreamspinners

It’s Rainbow Cover Awards Contest time, and I have three covers up: Infected: Shift, Josh of the Damned Triple Feature, and The Little Death. Am I shamelessly pandering for votes? You bet I am! Rainbow Cover Awards Contest

I have to admit, this question struck me as funny at first. As far as I’m concerned, writing is writing – whether a character is a straight female spy or an omnisexual hermaphrodite spy is irrelevant to me. A story is a story. The character is what they are, and that’s that. But here’s the funny thing: to other people, this question can mean a lot.
Maybe I’m just spectacularly naive, but I thought part of the joy of reading was experiencing life from the points of view of people and things you could never be, exploring new worlds and cultures and places you could never be, seeing through eyes that aren’t yours. A lot of people feel the opposite way – they just want their viewpoint represented, over and over again; they want...

And here’s my contribution, from Infected: Shift.
Roan had bitten into a steaming hot croissant and was letting the pastry melt in his mouth when Holden paused and turned back. “Oh, one more thing. About the client? A bit obsessed with you.”
Roan almost choked. “What?”
“Not in a gay way, although I’m not a hundred percent certain about that. But he’s definitely fascinated by you. He asked about your scars, if you had a boyfriend, and when we were in the cop shop giving our statements, he asked if any of those cops knew you. He’s way into you.”
He didn’t know what to think about that. “Are you sure you’re not projecting here?”
“Nope. It’s your macho allure, I think. He’s in awe. And why not? You are Batman, after all.”
Roan...

First up, another five star review for Infected: Shift: Reviews By Jessewave. I’m glad most people seem to like it. I thought it was, at once, both the funniest story in the series, as well as the most violent. If you have the grim, you may as well balance it out with humor.
Oh, and how would dating Roan actually be? Interesting, I imagine. SJD Peterson’s blog.

In support of Yam Mag’s LGBT Blogathon , I look at the state of “genre” TV today. Hmm …
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Probably the number one comedy in the country, according to people who keep these types of statics handy for advertisers, is Modern Family, a highly rated comedy that I must admit I’ve never gotten. Oh, maybe it’s improved since the pilot, but I watched that, didn’t laugh once, and never returned. (Sorry, but there’s a lot of shows begging for my attention. I will give you a chance, but if there’s nothing I’m even remotely interested in, I probably won’t come back again. Not enough time in the day.) There’s also an argument to be made about me having shitty taste in comedies, although I will argue...

As part of its anniversary sale, all of my books – including Infected: Shift, including paperbacks – are 25% off until next Saturday. So if you’ve been putting off a purchase, now is the time to buy.Dreamspinner Press Store

In case you don’t know, a bunch of us bloggers got together today, the International Day Against Homophobia, to talk about it. The linkage is right here: Hop Against Homophobia.
And in my post, I admit to a personal failing.
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What are you afraid of?
I must admit, I always wanted to ask that question of a homophobe (or a transphobe – even a xenophobe). What exactly scares you about gay ( or trans or foreign) people? That they’re contagious, and you’ll catch it? Because, let’s face it, what you’re afraid of says a lot about you. A fear of falling, of fire, of drowning, of animal attacks and natural disasters, speaks to our own fears of losing control or being helpless in the face of something greater (stronger, faster, meaner, more...

Happy release day! (Remember, you may just be able to pick up an autographed paperback at the Dreamspinner store if you’re one of the first buyers.) Anyways, here’s the weird ass soundtrack for Infected: Shift. If you want me to explain it, I will try.
Infected: Shift soundtrack from notmanos on...